We’re once again hosting an event to celebrate International Observe the Moon Night which takes place this year on October 28. We’ll have a telescope viewing of the Moon from 6:30-8:30PM in our observatory, plus we’ll have some information and activities about the Moon while you wait for your turn to go up to the telescope.

Our observatory is on the rooftop of UPEI’s Memorial Hall, but we ask that you come first to room 417. Volunteers from local astronomy groups and UPEI Physics will be available to answer any astronomy questions for you while you wait.

It is necessary to climb a flight of stairs to reach the telescope, but the elevator can be taken up to the 4th floor waiting room.

In the evening hours, campus parking lots are free, with parking lots B and C being the nearest lots to Memorial Hall.

If the weather is cloudy and we cannot observe the Moon, then the event may be postponed or cancelled. This blog post will be updated in the hours preceding the event if a cancellation is necessary.

A total solar eclipse will occur across North America on August 21. Solar eclipses happen when the Moon blocks our view of the Sun (read more about how eclipses work). From PEI, the eclipse will be seen as a partial solar eclipse – at the eclipse maximum, the Sun will be about half covered by the Moon, as shown in this simulation of the eclipse. The eclipse will start at 2:42pm, reach maximum at 3:50pm, and end at 4:54pm.

How the eclipse will appear across Canada and the USA. Image via http://www.discovertheuniverse.ca/

It is very important that you do not look at the Sun unless you are using safe, approved Sun viewing equipment – and sunglasses do NOT count as safe!

So how can you view the eclipse safely?

Attend an eclipse viewing event

Eclipse glasses

We’ll be hosting an eclipse viewing on August 21 from 2:30-5:00pm on the UPEI campus. We’ll have glasses that you can wear to view the Sun safely plus special solar telescopes that will provide a safe, magnified view of eclipse. There will also be some fun activities for all ages to learn about eclipses and our solar system.

Our eclipse event will take place outside of the School of Sustainable Design Engineering building (building #30 on campus map) from 2:30-5:00pm. The eclipse maximum will occur at 3:50pm (the moment that the Sun will be the most covered by the Moon), but if you stop in at any time during the event you’ll get to see the Moon partially blocking our Sun and look at the Sun’s features through a telescope.

The eclipse viewing event will be held outside and inside the entrance of the SSDE building (indicated by orange star on the map). Parking is available in UPEI Lots D & E and the MacLauchlan Arena lot.

UPEI Physics’ hydrogen-alpha solar telescope.

In the event the sky is completely clouded over, we’ll watch NASA’s live-stream of the eclipse and we’ll still have some fun activities relating to our Sun, Moon, and solar system.

There may also be an eclipse viewing event taking place in western PEI. Check the Athena Community Astronomy Club’s Facebook page for updates as they are considering hosting an event.

Prepare to view the eclipse safely at home

If you can’t attend a public eclipse event, you can still view the eclipse safely at home, provided that you do a bit of preparation. Below are several safe viewing methods that you can try depending on what materials are available to you. Try them out on a regular sunny day to practice so that you are ready once the big eclipse day comes around.

• Use two pieces of stiff white cardboard (paper plates will do) to make a simple pinhole projector;
• Use a cereal/cookie box, paper, and aluminum foil to make a pinhole viewer;
• Use a small mirror inside an envelope to reflect an image of the Sun on to a screen;
• If you have binoculars that can be mounted on a tripod, use them to project the Sun’s image on to white cardboard (CAUTION: do not look through the binoculars while they are pointed at the Sun and beware the heat that will be generated near the eyepieces. Give your binoculars breaks from being focussed on the Sun every few minutes so that they don’t overheat. Do NOT leave this apparatus unattended!)
• Buy your own eclipse glasses. These are getting in short supply as the eclipse draws near. As of the time of writing, Keith Cooper of Sidewalk Astronomers of Charlottetown still has some pairs available for sale (UPDATE August 8: Keith is sold out!). Astronomers Without Borders are also selling solar viewing glasses, but these ship from the USA so you may have to check whether they will arrive in time. If you decide to buy eclipse viewers elsewhere, beware that potentially unsafe glasses are being sold. Read this information from NASA and from the American Astronomical Society to be sure that the viewers you are purchasing or already have are safe.

Photographing the eclipse safely

If you think you’d like to photograph the eclipse, read these tips on how to do it safely and still get good pictures.

The next TOTAL Solar Eclipse for PEI?

The eclipse this year is only a partial one for PEI, but don’t despair – we should get to see a total eclipse in the coming years. On April 8, 2024, the path of a total solar eclipse will pass directly over western PEI. Mark your calendars!

The total solar eclipse of April 8, 2024. Image via https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/map/2024-april-8?n=1207#

Our next public viewing is scheduled for Saturday, July 22 from 9:45-11:00PM.

Our observatory is on the rooftop of UPEI’s Memorial Hall, but we ask that you come first to room 417 to wait for your turn to go up to the telescope. Volunteers from local astronomy groups and UPEI Physics will be available to answer any astronomy questions for you while you wait.

It is necessary to climb a flight of stairs to reach the telescope, but the elevator can be taken up to the 4th floor waiting room.

In the evening hours, campus parking lots are free, with parking lots B and C being the nearest lots to Memorial Hall.

If the weather is cloudy and we cannot view the sky, the event will have to be cancelled or postponed. This post will be updated in the event of cancellation or postponement.

UPDATE (10:40AM, June 24): It doesn’t look like the weather will clear up in time for the telescope viewing tonight, so we will have to cancel. We’re scheduling another nighttime viewing on July 22 and will also be scheduling some daytime solar viewing sessions starting in July. Watch for posts to this blog next week as details are confirmed.

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Our next public viewing is scheduled for Saturday, June 24 from 10:00-11:00PM. Since this viewing is scheduled not long after the summer solstice, the sun will be setting very late so we will have a later, shorter viewing than usual. But there will be two planets visible in the sky – Saturn and Jupiter, so if the weather cooperates we should have an interesting viewing.

Our observatory is on the rooftop of UPEI’s Memorial Hall, but we ask that you come first to room 417 to wait for your turn to go up to the telescope. Volunteers from local astronomy groups and UPEI Physics will be available to answer any astronomy questions for you while you wait.

It is necessary to climb a flight of stairs to reach the telescope, but the elevator can be taken up to the 4th floor waiting room.

In the evening hours, campus parking lots are free, with parking lots B and C being the nearest lots to Memorial Hall.

If the weather is cloudy and we cannot view the sky, the event will have to be cancelled or postponed. This post will be updated in the event of cancellation or postponement.