James Fast is packed up and ready to hit the road to Dallas in anticipation of Monday’s total solar eclipse — the last time he’ll be within driving distance of one for the next 20 years.
“I’m trying to imagine what it’ll feel like,” said Fast, an astronomy lover.
“I’m taking a telescope with me, I’m taking cameras to try to capture the events, but my main goal will be just to take it in and experience it, this being my first total eclipse.”
While he’s making a trip to see the eclipse in its full glory, others Manitobans plan to mark the event here at home.
The band that will experience the total eclipse is expected to begin in Mexico before moving through the U.S. then to parts of southern Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada.
Manitoba however, will only see a partial eclipse, said Scott Young, an astronomer at the Manitoba Museum’s planetarium.
The last time a total eclipse happened in the province was in 1979, he said.
“I was nine. I remember seeing it in school and it totally changed my life,” he said. “It was so amazing that I became an astronomer right then.”
Monday’s total eclipse will be the last visible anywhere in Canada until August 2044. That’s had people to flocking to places like Niagara Falls, Ont., to see it in totality.
Earlier this month, the border city declared a percautionary state of emergency owing to the influx of people travelling there to see the moon block the sun for a few minutes.
“I think it just speaks to the awe and the wonder and amazement,” said Fast.
He hopes the hype around the eclipse will inspire an entirely new generation of science lovers.
“This is a pretty special place we live on and we get to witness these amazing events,” he said.
“So I really hopes that it spurs more interest in astronomy.”
Schools look forward to eclipse, but taking precautions
Educators at some Manitoba schools have the same hope.
Students at Earl Grey School in the Winnipeg School Division are buzzing with excitement, said principal Tricia Penner. Many teachers have an hour of outdoor learning planned for early in the morning.
The partial eclipse in Manitoba will begin just before 1 p.m. and end shortly after 3 p.m. local time.
At Earl Grey, classes will go ahead as scheduled in the afternoon, and Penner said they’re advising everyone to stay inside between noon and 3 p.m.
But because the special eclipse glasses needed to catch a glimpse of the sky have been in high demand and hard to come by, students will watch the event through a livestream.
The eclipse is a teachable moment, Penner said — asking students to figure out how old they’ll be when the next one happens in Canada has become a good math question, for example.
“It’s hands-on learning,” she said. “It’s happening right at the same time as they’re reading about it, watching it, talking about it, so it’s a great learning experience.”
At Leila North School in the Seven Oaks School Division, students will go out in groups using eclipse glasses, principal Melissa Delaronde said. A handful of classrooms at the Grade 6-8 school will go outside Monday afternoon, taking safety precautions.
It’s an opportunity the school’s science lead hopes the youngsters will make the most of.
“This experience is one of those ones that really sparks interest in science, and it’s one of those moments that can stay with you, that can influence your decisions moving forward,” said Tannis Silver.
FROM THE ARCHIVES | The Manitoba Planetarium’s director discusses the 1979 eclipse:
In this 24 Hours segment, the CBC’s John Robertson discusses a total solar eclipse from Feb. 26, 1979, with the director of the Manitoba Planetarium, Robert Ballantyne, and CBC producer Earl Barnholden.
The River East Transcona School Division, meanwhile, says it will keep early and middle years students indoors during the eclipse. It’s also cancelling street patrols during the lunch hour for the day, and students who go home for lunch need to be supervised by an adult.
Students in senior years classes will be provided with information about the risks involved in looking at the eclipse, but it’s recommended they remain in the building during the eclipse if possible, a statement from the division said.
WATCH | Learn more about viewing the eclipse in Manitoba:
CBC’s Riley Laychuk talks to Scott Young, an astronomer at the Manitoba Museum, about Monday’s solar eclipse. It will be the first time since 1979 that a solar eclipse has been visible from the province.
Similar guidelines are being followed in the Hanover and Seine River school divisions, where all students from kindergarten to Grade 8 will remain inside during the eclipse window.
A letter sent to all school divisions from the province said the event poses a risk of permanent vision damage if proper precautions are not taken. Even a brief look at the partially eclipsed sun can result in permanent damage, the province warned.