Eclipse excitement: N.B. communities in 'path of totality' plan for perfect view in 2024

New Brunswick communities along the path of this spring’s total solar eclipse are preparing for the spotlight, so to speak.

The solar eclipse on Monday, April 8, 2024 will follow a path of totality over central New Brunswick during the late afternoon, plunging areas into temporary darkness for a duration of up to three minutes and twenty seconds.

The April 8, 2024 total eclipse path in New Brunswick. (Courtesy: Eclipse2024.org)

Other parts of the Maritimes – specifically Prince Edward Island’s western tip, and Nova Scotia’s Meat Cove area in Cape Breton – are also included in the solar eclipse’s path of totality, making the region one of the best places in the world to see the celestial spectacle.

Cities and towns near, but outside the path of totality, will experience a partial solar eclipse event.

April’s solar eclipse will also be seen in Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec, Ontario, as well as parts of the United States and Mexico.

A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon aligns precisely between the Sun and Earth, blocking light.

A map showing the April 2024 solar eclipse that will be seen in parts of the Maritimes, Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec, Ontario, and parts of the United States and Mexico.

TELESCOPE BALLOON LAUNCHES, VIEWING PARTIES, AND AN ASTRONAUT

Tourism Fredericton is planning a three-day “Eclipse Fest Fredericton” around the city’s downtown between April 6 and 8.

“During the eclipse itself, we’ll have astronomers there to lead a public observation session,” said Mary Ellen Hudson of Fredericton Tourism. “The astronomers will have their telescopes there to explain what’s happening and how to view it safely with their assistance.”

The City of Miramichi will host “Total Eclipse Totale” between April 3 and 8, with science showcases and live music leading to an eclipse-viewing event at the Miramichi Airport.

Col. Chris Hadfield, the first Canadian Commander of the International Space Station, is scheduled to be in Florenceville-Bristol to watch the eclipse on April 8, and will deliver a speech later in the day. Specific details of Hadfield’s appearance are still to be announced.

April 8, 2024 in Florenceville-Bristol will begin with a unique balloon launch to capture the event above cloud cover, something David Hunter has been planning for several years.

Hunter, a retired medical physicist, moved back to hometown of Florenceville-Bristol shortly after witnessing the 2017 total solar eclipse in Wyoming, Nebraska.

When Hunter learned his hometown was directly under an eclipse centre line of totality in 2024, he “realized how important it was for New Brunswickers to do something.”

Hunter, a member of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada New Brunswick Centre, began developing plans for a balloon solar telescope to follow the eclipse high above the province.

Volunteers in Florenceville-Bristol, N.B., release the final test launch of a solar telescope balloon on Nov. 4, 2023. The balloon will be used to capture images of a total solar eclipse over New Brunswick in April. (Courtesy: EclipsePlus.ca)

Volunteers, including students from the University of New Brunswick, have been working steadily on what’s believed to be the first non-governmental project to transmit images from the stratosphere to in real time. The plan is for the images to be live streamed online on April 8.

“We had to go through a lot of effort to get authorization to launch these balloons, with Transport Canada, so we went through a very lengthy procedure to do that,” said Hunter.

There have been four successful test launches of the balloon since then, with the final and most recent launch in November. Members of the public will be able to watch the balloon launch on April 8, 2024.

“Many people have seen a partial solar eclipse. They might think, “What’s the big deal? What’s 100 per cent?” Well, no pun intended, but it’s the difference between day and night,” said Hunter. “A total solar eclipse is just much more dramatic and interesting than a partial solar eclipse.”

“It’s been more than a thousand years since there’s been a total solar eclipse in central New Brunswick. The last one in Fredericton was in 1932,” said Hunter. “It’s just a real special event.”

After 2024, New Brunswick’s next total solar eclipse will occur on May 1, 2079.

“WHEN YOU SEE TOTALITY, IT’S EMOTIONAL BEYOND ANYTHING”

A well known global “eclipse chaser” says any community in the path of totality should be preparing for a noticeable increase of people this April, as well as taking additional safety considerations.

“We’re talking about efforts from first responders for traffic control, for people to make sure the way is clear for ambulances or the school buses if schools choose to stay in session,” said Dan McGlaun, who has seen 15 different total solar eclipses around the world.

McGlaun, who also operates the website Eclipse2024.org (which attracted millions of hits in 2017 for eclipse information) said special messaging about how to safely view the eclipse should become a priority well beforehand, especially for children.

“It’s a family experience, it’s a personal experience,” said McGlaun. “When you see totality, it’s emotional beyond anything.”

McGlaun won’t have to go far to view the eclipse, from where he lives in Indiana.

“It comes right over my house,” said McGlaun. “I haven’t decided (on the) front yard or back yard yet.”

“Who you see it with, where you see it, what you did that day, the story that writes itself as you experience it… that’s what you’ll remember the rest of your life.”