91³Ō¹Ļ

'I canā€™t wait to see it': 91³Ō¹Ļ expert helps Ontario prepare for next year's total solar eclipse

Sun rising behind the Toronto skyline during an annular eclipse

The sun rises behind the skyline during an annular eclipse on June 10, 2021 in Toronto (photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images)

Staff at the 91³Ō¹Ļ are playing a critical role in preparing for the total solar eclipse slated to occur in Central and Eastern Canada on April 8, 2024.

The Ontario Eclipse Task Force, chaired by Ilana MacDonald at the Dunlap Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics, is working to provide Ontarians with detailed information about eclipse events and safe viewing practices for this rare celestial occurrence.

Ilana MacDonald
Ilana MacDonald (photo by Charles Zhu)

ā€œThe physical experience of watching the sun being totally covered is apparently life-changing,ā€ says MacDonald, Dunlapā€™s outreach co-ordinator who earned her astrophysics PhD from 91³Ō¹Ļā€™s Faculty of Arts & Science in 2013.

ā€œIā€™ve seen videos of people screaming with excitement when they see a total eclipse. Iā€™m hoping to experience that level of joy this time around.ā€

If the skies are clear, MacDonald will fulfil that dream next spring during what could be the most viewed total solar eclipse in Canadian history. The path of totality soars over major urban centres, tiny towns and empty fields across Ontario ā€“ and it wonā€™t happen again in the province until 2099.

The task forceā€™s primary goal is education around safe viewing. Itā€™s a major concern next spring because kids will be just getting out of school when the eclipse begins. In one solution, Dunlap teamed up with  and the  to distribute thousands of eclipse viewers to classrooms across Canada.

ā€œAstronomy outreach is one of Dunlapā€™s main pillars of purpose, and public education is embedded in the instituteā€™s DNA,ā€ says MacDonald, who as a student won a Fieldus Award for Excellence in Leadership and Research from the David A. Dunlap department of astronomy and astrophysics.

ā€œOutreach has always been important to the Dunlap family and thatā€™s a major reason why theyā€™ve been such prolific donors and champions for 91³Ō¹Ļ.ā€

Other considerations for the 2024 eclipse include community safety and travel. Thousands of people will flock to the best eclipse viewing areas that day, so donā€™t be surprised if thereā€™s a traffic jam on Highway 401.

ā€œI could try renting a boat,ā€ says MacDonald. ā€œMaybe Iā€™ll just sail four kilometres south from the Toronto waterfront ā€“ that would be a nice view of everything.ā€

Growing up in rural Quebec, MacDonald was inspired by her fatherā€™s amateur stargazing. From the first time she gazed upon Saturnā€™s rings through the lens of his telescope, she knew the path she wanted to follow.

While earning her PhD, MacDonald studied ripples in spacetime triggered by two black holes about to crash into each other ā€“ otherwise known as gravitational waves. Her research was based on theories prior to the first detection of a gravitational wave in 2015.

She has a tattoo of that wave reading ā€“ like a wild cosmic heartbeat ā€“ proudly displayed on her right arm, paying tribute to the interstellar discovery.

MacDonald canā€™t say if next yearā€™s eclipse will elicit a similar sentimental response.

ā€œThe sky gets very dark, and all the stars are revealed,ā€ she says. ā€œThe birds go quiet because they think itā€™s nighttime. The temperature suddenly falls, and you can see the sunā€™s gases radiating from its horizons. Apparently, total eclipses are a whole other ballgame, and I canā€™t wait to see it.ā€

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