Times and tips for Monday's eclipse across the Maritimes

Make way for a memorable Monday as a solar eclipse arrives across the Maritimes.

Parts of the region will experience total daytime darkness for up to three minutes and 20 seconds, as the moon aligns perfectly between the sun and Earth.

The eclipse’s path of totality includes central New Brunswick, the western tip of Prince Edward Island, and Cape Breton’s Meat Cove area in Nova Scotia.

Other parts of the Maritimes will experience a partial solar eclipse.

Do not look directly at the eclipse’s partial phase at any time without wearing certified safety eyeglasses.

Portions of Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec, Ontario, as well the United States and Mexico, will also experience Monday’s total solar eclipse.

After Monday, the next total solar eclipse in the Maritimes will occur on May 1, 2079.

A map showing the April 8, 2024, solar eclipse that will be seen in parts of the Maritimes, Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec, Ontario, along with portions of the United States and Mexico.

The following are eclipse times for select Maritime communities, within and outside the path of totality:

Path of totality eclipse times across the Maritimes

Hartland, N.B.

• Eclipse start time: 3:22:43 p.m.
• Totality start time: 4:32:24 p.m.
• Duration of totality: 3 minutes, 20.7 seconds

Florenceville-Bristol, N.B.

• Eclipse start time: 3:22:41 p.m.
• Totality start time: 4:32:19 p.m.
• Duration of totality: 3 minutes, 18.9 seconds

Doaktown, N.B.

• Eclipse start time: 3:24:34 p.m.
• Totality start time: 4:33:48 p.m.
• Duration of totality: 3 minutes, 16.6 seconds

Woodstock, N.B.

• Eclipse start time: 3:22:34 p.m.
• Totality start time: 4:32:22 p.m.
• Duration of totality: 3 minutes, 16.2 seconds

Tignish Corner, P.E.I.

• Eclipse start time: 3:27:11 p.m.
• Totality start time: 4:35:44 p.m.
• Duration of totality: 3 minutes, 10.9 seconds

Miramichi, N.B.

• Eclipse start time: 3:25:27p.m.
• Totality start time: 4:34:24 p.m.
• Duration of totality: 3 minutes, 8.2 seconds

Alberton, P.E.I.

• Eclipse start time: 3:27:08 p.m.
• Totality start time: 4:35:49 p.m.
• Duration of totality: 3 minutes, 2.5 seconds

Perth-Andover, N.B.

• Eclipse start time: 3:22:39 p.m.
• Totality start time: 4:32:25 p.m.
• Duration of totality: 2 minutes, 52.8 seconds

Bouctouche, N.B.

• Eclipse start time: 3:26:14 p.m.
• Totality start time: 4:35:28 p.m.
• Duration of totality: 2 minutes, 34.5 seconds

Plaster Rock, N.B.

• Eclipse start time: 3:23:07 p.m.
• Totality start time: 4:32:54 p.m.
• Duration of totality: 2 minutes, 32.1 seconds

Chipman, N.B.

• Eclipse start time: 3:24:45 p.m.
• Totality start time: 4:34:29 p.m.
• Duration of totality: 2 minutes, 25.7 seconds

Fredericton

• Eclipse start time: 3:23:41 p.m.
• Totality start time: 4:33:50 p.m.
• Duration of totality: 2 minutes, 12.4 seconds

Tracadie-Sheila, N.B.

• Eclipse start time: 3:26:18 p.m.
• Totality start time: 4:35:22 p.m.
• Duration of totality: 2 minutes, 9.2 seconds

Meat Cove, N.S.

• Eclipse start time: 3:31:16 p.m.
• Totality start time: 4:39:37 p.m.
• Duration of totality: 1 minute, 29.5 seconds

Grand Falls, N.B.

• Eclipse start time: 3:22:46 p.m.
• Totality start time: 4:33:10 p.m.
• Duration of totality: 1 minute, 17.9 seconds

Summerside, P.E.I.

• Eclipse start time: 3:27:22 p.m.
• Totality start time: 4:37:08 p.m.
• Duration of totality: 1 minute, 1.3 seconds

Maximum partial eclipse times across Maritime cities outside of totality

Moncton, N.B.

• Eclipse start time: 3:26:04 p.m.
• Mid-eclipse time: 4:36:45 p.m.
• Mid-eclipse magnitude: 99.89 per cent

Edmundston, N.B.

• Eclipse start time: 3:22:11 p.m.
• Mid-eclipse time: 4:33:13 p.m.
• Mid-eclipse magnitude: 99.8 per cent

Charlottetown, P.E.I.

• Eclipse start time: 3:28:09 p.m.
• Mid-eclipse time: 4:38:17 p.m.
• Mid-eclipse magnitude: 99.2 per cent

Saint John, N.B.

• Eclipse start time: 3:24:14 p.m.
• Mid-eclipse time: 4:35:34 p.m.
• Mid-eclipse magnitude: 98.1 per cent

Sydney, N.S.

• Eclipse start time: 3:31:39 p.m.
• Mid-eclipse time: 4:40:53 p.m.
• Mid-eclipse magnitude: 97.3 per cent

Halifax, N.S.

• Eclipse start time: 3:27:21 p.m.
• Mid-eclipse time: 4:38:04 p.m.
• Mid-eclipse magnitude: 94.5 per cent

Free certified eclipse glasses have been distributed in communities throughout western New Brunswick leading up to the April 8 eclipse. (Nick Moore/CTV Atlantic)

Where to watch the eclipse

New Brunswick

A list of free New Brunswick eclipse viewing events, along with pick up locations for certified safety eyeglasses (if still available) can be found here.

Free public eclipse viewing events will happen Monday afternoon in several New Brunswick communities, including: Florenceville-Bristol, Fredericton, Hartland, Miramichi, Perth-Andover, Plaster Rock, Woodstock, Arcadia, and Moncton.

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A solar telescope balloon will launch from Florenceville-Bristol at the beginning of the eclipse to capture images of the spectacle high above New Brunswick. Live images from the telescope will stream live to local viewing events, as well as online.

P.E.I.

Monday’s total solar eclipse will be visible through most of Prince County in western P.E.I., as well as northern parts of Queen’s County, including:

• Tignish
• Alberton
• O’Leary
• Tyne Valley
• Wellington
• Summerside
• Cavendish
• Kensington

The North Cape Coastal Drive social media page lists a number of gathering spots in western P.E.I., including:

• The North Cape Interpretive Centre in Tignish is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• There will be an eclipse watch party with the St. Chrysostome Beach Goats from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
• The Stompin’ Tom Centre in Skinners Pond will host free entertainment from 1 p.m. to 2p.m. with musician Kurk Bernard
• The West Point Harbourside Centre in O’Leary is hosting a BBQ and activities for kids starting at 1:30 p.m.
• The Bi-Centennial Park in Tignish is hosting a free community event from 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The city of Charlottetown says the inside lane of the Victoria Park Roadway, from Terry Fox Drive to Victoria Park Driveway, will be closed to traffic from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. for the eclipse.

The city says the partial road closure will be in place to “allow the public to safely observe the solar eclipse from the park.”

Cape Breton

The Lawless Lobster Seafood Trailer will be open for everyone travelling to the northern tip of Cape Breton for the eclipse.

“We will be serving hotdogs, grilled cheese, bottled water, soft drinks, potato chips and of course our famous seafood chowder. We will also have some Meat Cove merchandise available,” reads a post on the trailer’s Facebook page.

People gather to get a good vantage point of the eclipse in Meat Cove, N.S., on April 8, 2024. (Ryan MacDonald/CTV Atlantic)

The Meat Cove Community Centre will be hosting a Sweets and Tea Eclipse Social from 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm. The event is $10 for adults and $5 for kids

Destination Cape Breton also recommends people visit the Skyline Trail, Inverness Beach, the Highland Village in Iona and Chéticamp to watch the eclipse.

Weather continues to be ideal for eclipse viewing

CTV Atlantic meteorologist Kalin Mitchell says it is so far so good for weather in the Maritimes and viewing the solar eclipse.

Just some patchy, broken mid-level cloud is moving through at a decent clip. Mitchell says it shouldn’t be enough to fully obstruct viewing in any part of the Maritimes Monday afternoon.

Satellite imagery showing just a bit of patchy, mid-level cloud passing northwest to southeast across the Maritimes.

Between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., conditions are expected to be mainly clear for New Brunswick, and a few, or patchy, clouds are expected for both Nova Scotia and P.E.I.

Excellent viewing conditions are expected across most of the Maritimes Monday afternoon.

Traffic and communications

New Brunswick public schools within the eclipse’s path of totality will be dismissed early from afternoon classes on Monday.

Drivers should prepare for detours and delays within the path of totality, with an influx of people expected.

Several restrictions for vehicles will be in effect around three Woodstock public viewing areas on Monday. A shuttle service in Florenceville-Bristol will run between two public viewing events on each side of the Saint John River, with crews directing traffic on the Florenceville Bridge (which is down to one lane due to ongoing construction). The world’s longest covered bridge in Hartland will be closed to vehicles from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.

A roadside sign warns of traffic delays on April 8 near Woodstock, N.B. (Nick Moore/CTV Atlantic)

New Brunswick’s Emergency Measures Organized has advised drivers to fuel up before venturing out, with the potential for long waits.

A focus within the path of totality will also be placed on communications, with an expectation for high network demand. Bell Aliant says routine maintenance will be paused on Monday afternoon to optimize data and voice services in areas where large numbers of people are expected. Bell Aliant (a division of Bell, which owns CTV Atlantic) says usage levels will be monitored closely throughout the eclipse event.

CTVNewsAtlantic.ca will provide live coverage of the eclipse as it travels across the Maritimes on Monday.

A special edition of CTV News at Six with Todd Battis will broadcast live Monday from Miramichi, featuring extensive eclipse coverage from across the region.

A special edition of CTV News at Six on Monday, April 8 will feature live extensive eclipse coverage from across the Maritimes. (Source: CTV Atlantic)