It happened. I beat the bad traffic and even gloomy weather forecast. I saw the Sun go dark and felt the air cool down. Seeing a total solar eclipse was probably one of the things on my bucket list, so I’m extremely happy I got to see one.
The bad weather
The forecast for the eclipse was bad in southern Ontario. While Montreal would get some great views without worry, the area around Lake Ontario and Lake Erie were pretty grim from the last few days. Morning started with a mostly overcast sky. The only glimmer of hope was the high likelyhood that clouds would clear up by 3 PM (slightly before totality) further west.
My original goal was to go to Port Colborne, which would get close to the longest totality duration in Canada. But the predicted forecast said clouds would be there. So as I woke up and saw an overcast sky over Toronto, I made a last minute destination change to Simcoe.
Luckily, things went extremely well.
The eclipse
20% Coverage
The partial eclipse started around 2:00 PM EST. Using my eclipse glasses, I saw the moon start to cover the Sun. I’ve seen a lunar eclipse before, but seeing the process happen to the Sun was incredible to see. The Sun is considered as a static object that constantly illuminates the world. To see it disappear midday was surreal.
If you looked around at the surroundings without the glasses, nothing had changed. The Sun wasn’t any dimmer than it normally looks.
50% Coverage
The picture above was taken when the Sun was covered more than 50%, but it’s a decent approximation. When the Sun was 50% covered, it had become noticeably dimmer. It was midday and the Sun was out. But it felt as if someone had turned down the brightness meter of the sky, without the red light that comes with a sunrise or sunset. but the brightness is fairly low.
80% Coverage
When the Sun was significantly covered, its light no longer felt warm. The air temperature was significantly cooler. The sky was pretty dim, close to a dark blue. The sky’s brightness was closer to the deeper blue of the sky during sunrise, but the colour was still that of midday. It’s hard to describe.
99% Coverage
Now is when the fun part begins. By now, the sky is becoming darker at an increasing rate. Within just 2 to 3 minutes, the sky transitions from a dark midday to twilight.
Totality
Once totality kicks in, it’s safe to look at the Sun without glasses. It was an incredible phenomenon to behold. While my pictures were mostly overexposed, the corona was clear, thin, and sharply visible. I could even see solar activity on the surface of the Sun.
Pictures of total solar eclipses are slightly misleading: the sky doesn’t become pitch black. The view is closer to a dark twilight. Pictures tend to darken the sky, but the view is fantastic regardless. This is the only time you can ever stare at the Sun with your naked eyes.
The moment of darkness is transient, this totality only lasted for about 3 minutes and 30 seconds. The time passes incredibly quickly. One moment you’re scrambling to take pictures, and in the next the Sun’s light is already coming back out. Around this ending moment, Bailey’s Beads were visible. Once totality ended, the inbound 0.001% of the Sun’s radiation immediately blinds (metaphorically) you if you aren’t wearing glasses. It’s a clear reminder of the power and radiance of the Sun.
A checkmark off the bucket list
Seeing totality was absolutely worth the stress and journey it took. While it sounds cliche, it really was an experience that I’ll never forget. The dimming sky, the dropping air temperature, and the moment of twilight to stare back at the Sun; it’s magical. I saw footage of the partial eclipse from Toronto, and it just can’t compare. Totality is 100% worth it if you’re close by or you’re interested in eclipses.
Unlike the lunar eclipse from late 2022, I’m very glad I had a proper camera to take pictures with this time. This might even be the spark of photography as a hobby for me, time will tell.