It’s almost here! The moment we’ve been waiting for — especially if you’re into astronomy, spectacular cosmic events and editing scientific articles. Today a total solar eclipse will grace the skies along a narrow path that moves through parts of eastern Canada, the United States and Mexico.

Here at The Conversation Canada, we began to anticipate the hype a year ago, when we published this article by Langis Michaud at Université de Montréal about how to prepare for this eclipse.

More recently, we’ve published articles by authors from various disciplines — including astronomy, astrophysics, classics, art history, visual culture and emergency management — as they considered the eclipse from different angles.

Daryn Lehoux from Queen’s University writes about how and why eclipses occupy a particular space in the human imagination. Solar eclipses were once believed to prophecy the death of kings, and this unfortunate association directly contributed to the birth of astronomy as ancient cultures developed tools to predict them.

Archeoastronomy uses written descriptions of eclipses in ancient texts to measure time and figure out when a historical event happened.

When it comes to actually witnessing the event, safety first! Using eye protection is important. Capturing the event on camera also requires some preparation and, hopefully, satellites won’t ruin the moment.

In anticipation of the eclipse, the Niagara region, expecting an influx of a million eclipse tourists, has announced a pre-emptive state of emergency — Jack Rozdilsky of York University describes the decision as a prudent move to help keep the crowds safe.

Studying eclipses has contributed to scientific knowledge beyond astronomy. Martin Connors of Athabasca University describes how solar eclipses can bend light, a discovery that proved Albert Einstein’s theory of gravity. Connors also writes about the unique opportunity that a total eclipse provides to see the “strange whitish light” that is the sun’s corona.

Here’s hoping it’s not too cloudy in parts of eastern Canada today, and that the collective experience of a once-in-a-lifetime cosmic spectacle will be a transformative event.

Also today:

All the best — and happy Eclipse Day if you're in eastern Canada!

Nehal El-Hadi

Science + Technology Editor
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