Here’s hoping you still have those eclipse glasses lying around from last year, because you have a chance to witness the next partial solar eclipse in Ontario next weekend.
Early risers on Saturday, March 29, 2025 will have the chance to see a rare treat when the Moon partially obscures the Sun.
The eclipse will see over 90 per cent of the Sun’s rays blocked out in parts of Canada, though Ontario will only get a mere taste of the action.
In Ontario, obscuration will max out at 36.74 per cent in the easternmost areas of the province, just west of the Quebec border.
However, the real show will occur in areas to the north and east of Ontario, especially in Quebec, the Maritimes and Nunavut, where conditions will be near-totality.
Residents of these sparsely populated northern areas will witness up to a 93 per cent eclipse, and it will appear near-night in peak locales.
Even larger population centres will get to see the skies dim, like Quebec City, which can expect roughly 72 per cent of the Sun to be obscured by a dark crescent next Saturday, while almost 83 per cent of the rays will be blocked out in Halifax.
Sadly for many Toronto residents, the viewable range of the eclipse cuts off right in the city, leaving areas west of roughly Bayview Avenue outside of the affected area. The rest of Toronto and areas of the eastern GTA will see negligible effects with under five per cent coverage.
Also, with about a week to go before the eclipse, Toronto weather conditions are looking dicey at best.
Should Mother Nature cooperate, here is how to see the eclipse in the Greater Toronto Area.
According to TimeAndDate, the eclipse will begin at 5:30 a.m. when the edge of the Moon appears to make contact with the Sun, though this will not be visible with the Sun still below the horizon at that hour.
Sunrise will occur at 7:03 a.m., and maximum viewing conditions will occur just minutes later at 7:06 a.m. With the Sun so close to the horizon line, the best angles (assuming weather is favourable) will be had from high-rise buildings with east-facing views.
If you miss it this time around, Ontario will get its next partial solar eclipse on August 12, 2026.
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