By Dr. John Ruan and Élodie Lescure – Contributors

One year from today, the Bishop’s community will witness a once-in-a-lifetime event.

Total solar eclipses are famously thought of as once-in-a-lifetime events, due to their extreme rarity. The Eastern Townships region will experience this spectacular phenomenon on Monday, April 8, 2024, approximately one year from today. For a brief few minutes during that afternoon, day will turn into night as the moon completely blocks the sun, plunging the entire Eastern Townships into darkness.

The 2024 total solar eclipse will be the first in Quebec since 1972, when a similar eclipse passed through the Gaspé Peninsula. “For the vast majority of our community, this will be the only total solar eclipse that we will witness in our lifetimes,” said Dr. Lorne Nelson, professor of physics and astronomy at Bishop’s.

A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes directly between the sun and the Earth, completely blocking out the Sun’s light and casting a shadow on the Earth’s surface. This shadow quickly moves across the Earth’s surface along a narrow line: the path of totality. For eclipse-viewers located within this narrow path, the sun will be completely blocked by the moon, resulting in an otherworldly experience. Viewers outside the path of totality will see a partial eclipse, which is far less spectacular.

The Eastern Townships will be the prime location in Canada to view the total solar eclipse. The path of totality runs exactly through the region, with Bishop’s near its epicenter. “Totality will last approximately 3.5 minutes in Sherbrooke, in comparison to only 1 minute in Montreal, and none in Quebec City,” said Dr. Nelson.

The total solar eclipse will attract eclipse-chasers from across Quebec and around the world to the Eastern Townships, all seeking the best view of totality. “We are expecting up to a million visitors to our region on that day, if the weather is good,” said William Hogg of Destination Sherbrooke, the para-municipal organization that promotes tourism in Sherbrooke.

Bishop’s is organizing a major eclipse-viewing event on campus, serving both the Bishop’s community as well as visitors. Planning is already underway for a variety of educational and artistic activities to accompany the eclipse-viewing. Several thousand visitors are expected on campus that day, and preparations are being made for major disruptions to campus operations, and possibly the academic calendar.

Bishop’s students are also leading an effort to visit schools and colleges in the Eastern Townships during the next year, both to provide educational presentations to students explaining the upcoming eclipse, and to distribute eclipse-viewing glasses. “These classroom presentations will ensure eye safety for viewing the eclipse, and inspire student excitement about the natural world,” said Élodie Lescure, a graduate student in physics and astronomy at Bishop’s.

More details about various eclipse events at Bishop’s will be announced over the coming months.