Partial solar eclipse underway in Canada; millions gather to watch total eclipse in Spain

Millions gather to watch total solar eclipse in Spain; Canada sees partial eclipse

We are in an unusual prime period for solar eclipses, reports Forbes. Most people are lucky to see a total eclipse once in their lifetime, but over the next 700 or so days, Earth is set to experience three total solar eclipses across three continents.

Today's event — the first total eclipse in Europe since 2015 — was just the first. The next one, set for Aug. 2, 2027, is being called the eclipse of the century, as the area near Luxor, Egypt, will experience six minutes and 23 seconds of totality. That will be the longest land-based total eclipse between 1991 and 2114.

The conclusion to the trilogy will be on July 22, 2028, when Australia and New Zealand will be swept under totality. For Sydney, it will be the first total eclipse since 1857.

The next two eclipses will also be visible in parts of Spain, making the country even more of a destination for astro-tourism.

Total eclipse trios aren't unheard of, typically repeating every 18 years. But they aren't usually so traveller-friendly. Instead of making jetsetters traverse across remote oceans, the path of totality will cross established tourist destinations like Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia and Australia.

A reader who hails from Kanata, Ont., sent this photo he snapped from the deck of the Enchanted Princess, a cruise ship bringing eclipse tourists around the Mediterranean.

Whitman Strong wrote that they were 60 kilometres south of the island of Mallorca, Spain, in the western Mediterranean Sea when totality hit.

"An incredible sight!!!" he wrote.

Birna Mjöll Atladóttir, owner of Hotel Breiðavík in Iceland’s Westfjords, had been thinking about the eclipse for years.

Her anticipation began about 14 years ago, and preparations for the big day started in earnest last winter.

By April, she and her husband were getting ready to welcome the crowds expected to descend on the remote region, Atladóttir told CBC Radio's As It Happens guest host Saroja Coelho.

The hotel is booked full, and the campground, which usually has around 100 people, had as many as 2,000 people to gather for the eclipse. Even her children, who have all since moved away, returned to help with the event.

That also meant preparing a very big menu — from Icelandic fish and lamb stew to soups and vegetarian dishes — to feed the crowds.

As the eclipse unfolded before her eyes, Atladóttir shared her excitement in real time, describing the scene as it happened.

"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh! It's getting darker and darker. I wish you could see it!"

"People are screaming everywhere, it’s like we have wolves around," she said.

"I'm grateful for my family, for my friends, everybody that helped me make this happen like it did today."

Why the Perseids meteor shower lights up skies every August

The Perseids meteor shower peaks every year in mid-August. CBC Kids News contributor Zach Morin explains why, along with some tips on how to watch the annual meteor shower.

This eclipse coincides with the Perseids meteor shower, which peaks every August. This shower is considered one of the year's best because of the quantity and brightness of the meteors; the viewing weather also tends to be favourable around this time.

If you want to see it, get out early tonight, says Peter Brown of Western University — you'll probably start seeing Perseids around 9:30 or 10 p.m ET. It's expected to peak around midnight. There can be upwards of 120 an hour, but likely just over a dozen will be visible.

Two other major meteor showers are also active: the southern delta Aquariids and the alpha Capricornids. These produce fewer meteors at their peak, but they'll still increase your chances of seeing a shooting star. In addition, there will be another minor shower called the kappa Cygnids, and other sporadic ones. In short, it's "meteor Christmas," Brown said.

Tip: Stay off your phone when you're outside. It can take a half-hour or more for your eyes to adjust to the dark, and the phone's brightness can interfere with that.

– With files from Nicole Mortillaro

Canadians who missed out on the total solar eclipse that crossed parts of southern Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes in April 2024 will have to wait a couple of decades for their next chance to see one at home.

A total solar eclipse will be visible on Aug. 22, 2044, across a wide chunk of the Northwest Territories and Alberta, with the path also touching parts of Nunavut, the northeastern tip of B.C. and the southwestern edge of Saskatchewan. The full eclipse will be visible in several major cities in the region, including Edmonton and Calgary.

The eclipse will happen in the early evening, hitting its peak around 7:15 p.m. MT. The moon will fully cover the sun for nearly two minutes at its maximum.

Totality is now over everywhere in the world. It takes hours to build up to a total solar eclipse, but the point of totality usually lasts for just a few seconds and up to a few minutes.

This time, the longest point of totality was off the western coast of Iceland, at two minutes and 18 seconds. The longest land-based view was in Látrabjarg, Iceland, at two minutes and 13 seconds.

The eclipse itself will continue for another hour and 20 minutes.

I just spoke to a group of young Canadian women visiting Spain for whom eclipses are much more than a spectacle.

For them, it's a perfect opportunity to raise money for threatened species. For a year now, they've been doing that by selling solar glasses online. Now, they're in Spain to see the eclipse that's helped them do it.

"The solar eclipse is following the migration path of the fin whales from Iceland down the coast of [the] U.K. to Spain. So that's our target audience," university student Taylor Denton, 19, told me.

"We're hoping the money can go towards a great charity that will help preserve these animals to keep them going from Iceland all the way to Spain so they can migrate and reproduce without dying completely," explained Emily LeClercq, 18, co-founder of the Fin Whale Eclipse Project.

Ahead of the April 8, 2024, solar eclipse, they were able to sell nearly 500,000 solar glasses to raise money to preserve monarch butterflies.

Spain is now experiencing a total solar eclipse. The country has the best view in the world, as it's in the path of totality and is seeing favourable weather conditions. This is the first total eclipse visible from mainland Spain in more than a century.

There's an eerie glow in London, minutes away from 90 per cent coverage of the sun, reported CBC News's Julia Chapman, and the temperature is lower than usual.

Here's a photo from Látrabjarg, Iceland's westernmost point, which saw a total eclipse a short while ago. It was home to the world's longest land view of totality, at two minutes and 13 seconds.