Although the skies were mostly overcast in Sudbury April 8, that didn’t stop hundreds of people from showing up at Science North for the science centre’s eclipse viewing party.
Sudbury wasn’t actually in the path of the total solar eclipse, with about 90 per cent of the sun’s diameter eclipsed by the moon at its maximum.
Some Sudburians travelled to Southern Ontario, into the path of totality, although many of those folks were also met with cloudy skies mostly occulding the their view of the eclipse.
People of all ages showed up at the Science North event, including a few who were around for Ontario’s last total solar eclipse in 1979.
Blair Hamilton, who showed up to the viewing party prepared with a folding chair and sporting a sweatshirt with a photo of an eclipse he had made at the mall, is one of those people.
The 66-year-old said he viewed eclipses from the Barrie area in 1979 and in 2017 - they were “fabulous,” he said.
“It’s a wonderful phenomenon,” he said, adding that the Science North viewing party is “a great event, and glad to see a lot of people came out. It’s too bad it’s overcast.”
Carolyn and Bill James, ages 75 and 76, respectively, also came out to the Science North event. Bill said he saw the 1979 eclipse, although he doesn’t remember too much about it, other than the eclipse glasses similar to the ones being handed out at Science North April 8.
“I’m 75 and I have never really had a chance,” Carolyn said. “So my husband said ‘Would you like to go and see a solar eclipse?’ And I said, ‘Oh, fantastic.’ And this has been a wonderful experience.”
With kids out of school locally April 8, it was also a perfect chance for families to take in the solar eclipse.
Luke Maddigan was out at the Science North event with kids Amelia, 11, and Juliet, 7.
“The kids have a day off and this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” he said. “We thought it'd be a great time to come out and enjoy with the community.”
Reem Fattouh was also there with her kids, Emily, 12, and Serena, 15.
“I feel like this is something that doesn't happen very often,” she said. “You want to kind of be a part of something that is happening in all parts of the world. I think it's kind of cool to share a collective experience like this. It’s just something you don’t get to see every day.”
Olathe MacIntyre, staff scientist at Science North, said although the weather was less-than-ideal for eclipse viewing, everyone was still having a great time.
The science centre handed out eclipse viewing glasses, had a solar telescope set up, and was projecting a livestream of the total solar eclipse inside in the cavern. There were also lots of kids’ activities set up on Science North’s grounds.
“I am glad people came out,” MacIntyre said. “We're still having a big shared experience together, and people are learning a lot about eclipses and about how the earth, sun, moon system works. There's all these activities going on, and I think the kids are having a good time.”
Heidi Ulrichsen is Sudbury.com’s assistant editor.
