Saskatchewan residents looked to the skies. Some saw mostly clouds
Crowds of people across Saskatchewan were outside on Monday hoping to catch a glimpse of the rare celestial spectacle that made news across the continent.
Depending on where you were in the province, how much of the solar eclipse you got to see varied – but the excitement was evident everywhere.
When Loretta Iris heard her birthday coincided with the solar eclipse, she wanted to mark the day in a special way.
“I thought it’d be fun to celebrate my birthday with other people,” Iris told CTV News.
In Saskatoon, the clouds hampered her ability to see the eclipse, but that didn’t stop her unique celebration.
“It’s exciting. It’s happening around the world. I love these things where they’re global events where we can stop and pause and be together,” she said.
In Regina, the clear skies meant optimal viewing of the partial eclipse.
(GarethDillistone/CTVNews)
“We’ll see the moon move in front of the sun and cover about 41 per cent of it in Regina and Saskatoon 45 per cent,” said Kevin Fenwick, with the Royal Astronomical Association of Canada.
In some parts of North America, like in Mexico, it was a total eclipse, meaning brief darkness. In our province, there was still enough sunshine that it didn’t seem darker.
“If you’ve got proper eye protection and you look at it through those glasses, it will look like Pac man took a chunk out of the sun as the moon moves in front of the sun,” Fenwick said.
Saskatoon eclipse watchers weren’t deterred by the clouds, judging by those gathered at the University of Saskatchewan observatory.
“The weather is your enemy sometimes and you just get used to it but we still have people asking questions and answering questions and hopefully getting some interest stirred up in astronomy and astronomical events,” said Brent Burlingham, president of the Royal Astronomical Association of Canada in Saskatoon.
Stacey Neudorf said it was a great way to teach her daughter about the universe.
“I think it’s a great learning experience for everyone and I’m excited to show her the telescope, and show her more about the universe,” she said.
Outside the Saskatoon observatory around 1:30 p.m., there was a glimmer of hope when the clouds broke up a bit.
All eyes turned skyward to get a glimpse of the eclipse through the clouds.
It wasn’t much, but it was enough to make the wait worth it.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Liberal MP says she's leaving politics over disrespectful dialogue, threats, misogyny
Liberal MP Pam Damoff says she won't run again in the next federal election, saying she has experienced misogyny, disrespectful dialogue in politics and threats to her life.
Concerns about Plexiglass prompt inspections at some Loblaws locations in Ottawa
Inspections are underway at more than one Loblaws location in Ottawa after complaints were filed about tall Plexiglass barriers.
Federal employees will be required to spend 3 days a week in the office
Starting in September, public servants in the core public administration will be required to work in the office a minimum of three days a week. The Treasury Board Secretariat says executives will need to be in the office four days per week.
OPP officer said 'someone's going to get hurt' before wrong-way Hwy. 401 crash
As multiple Durham police cruisers were chasing a robbery suspect on the wrong side of Highway 401 Monday night, an Ontario Provincial Police officer shared his concerns, telling a dispatcher, "Someone's going to get hurt."
Ont. woman who faked pregnancy to defraud doulas arrested again on similar charges
Victims of a Brantford, Ont., woman who was sentenced to house arrest earlier this year for defrauding and deceiving doulas say they’re not surprised she’s been apprehended again on similar charges.
Five human skeletons, missing hands and feet, found outside house of Nazi leader Hermann Göring
Archeologists have unearthed the skeletons of five people, missing their hands and feet, at a former Nazi military base in Poland.
Poilievre returns to House unrepentant for calling Trudeau 'wacko,' Speaker not resigning
An unrepentant Pierre Poilievre returned to the House of Commons on Wednesday to pepper the prime minister about his drug decriminalization policies after being booted the day prior for refusing to take back calling Justin Trudeau 'wacko' over his approach to the issue.
Construction begins on LGBTQ2S+ national monument in Ottawa
Shovels have hit the ground for constuction on Canada's LGBTQ2S+ national monument in Ottawa.
B.C. man awarded $5,000 in damages in first-of-it-kind intimate image case
In a first-of-its-kind case, a B.C. tribunal has ruled on a dispute involving the non-consensual sharing of intimate images, awarding damages and issuing orders that the photos be destroyed and taken offline.