Saskatchewan celebrates solar eclipse with science centre viewing party

People from all over the world headed outside Monday, to experience a once in a lifetime solar eclipse.

In Saskatchewan, a total solar eclipse wasn’t visible like some parts of Eastern Canada, but that didn’t stop people from celebrating the event.

Many eager onlookers gathered at the Saskatchewan Science Centre in Regina for the event.

According to the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, at the time of the eclipse, the moon covered just over 40 per cent of the sun in Saskatchewan.

“It looks like Pac-Man took a big chunk out of the sun as the moon moves in front of the sun,” Kevin Fenwick said, who is part of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada Regina Centre Executive Committee.

“Our moon is 400 times smaller than the sun, almost exactly. What’s so fascinating about eclipses on Earth is that the moon covers up almost exactly  the disk of the sun. So when you’re in an area of totality, like you would be if you were at Niagara Falls, for example, then the sun’s body will disappear.”

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For those in attendance at the science centre, it was a can’t-miss experience.

“It’s just a once-in-a-lifetime event and I can’t remember when the last eclipse was but I didn’t get to view it,” Regina resident Josh Daly said. “Just one of those things where you’ve been stuck inside all winter and you want to get out and enjoy the nice weather.”

Nora Ashton is a student who got to skip school to watch the eclipse. When asked what the sun and moon looked like?

“It looks like cheese,” she said with a laugh. “It’s been really cool to see how many people have come to see this, and my dad is really into astronomy and all that — that’s why they pulled me out of school today.”

As for when Saskatchewan could next see the moon fully block out the sun, you might have to wait until Aug. 2, 2044 when NASA expects the province to be along the path of the eclipse.

The last time any part of Saskatchewan was in the path of totality was in 1979, when the moon blocked the sun over the province’s southeastern corner.

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