Total solar eclipse: Many schools in Montreal have not yet decided to close their doors GeoTv News

On April 8, 2024, Montreal will see a total solar eclipse for the first time since 1932.

While this rare event is amazing, it also comes with some risks. That's why some schools in North America are closed for the day.

“One of the problems is that you're dealing with a large amount of light hitting a very small part of the back of the eye,” explained Ralph Chu, a professor at the University of Waterloo and a leading solar expert. energy. Eclipse and eye health.

“The second thing is that there are no pain sensors, so you can do a lot of damage to the back of the eye without knowing it.”

Despite these threats, it is unclear how schools in Montreal and surrounding areas will fare.

Only one school service center reached by CTV News on Friday was confirmed to be closing its doors on April 8: the Center for School Services (CSS) des Sommets in the eastern cities.

The spokesperson explained that the eclipse will mark the end of the school day when many students go home.

“Young people and people without autonomy must be constantly monitored to ensure that they comply with safety conditions. In school transport, we cannot apply these guidelines,” CSS des Sommet said in a statement.

Additionally, the only schools that have decided to remain open are those affiliated with CSS de Montréal.

“At CSSDM, we focus on activities to raise awareness of this rare astronomical phenomenon,” the statement said. “Each school is free to organize its own events. Students are also advised not to look directly at the eclipse.”

All other school boards contacted by CTV News on Friday said they were still considering their options.

hesitantly:

• Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board
• East City School Board
• Lester B. Pearson School Board
• Board of the Montreal English School

Opens:

• Montreal School Service Center

closed:

• Summit School Service Center

On the part of the Ministry of Education, a representative of the Ministry of Education said that the right step should be determined by the school boards.

But “the Ministry has provided all information to school authorities to monitor students on April 8, including scheduling kindergarten services and homecoming, as the eclipse coincides with the end of school.” “

In Pedra del Águila, Argentina, Monday, December 14, 2020. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko) The moon covers the sun during a total solar eclipse.

Keep your eyes (and your kids) away.

The effects of unprotected exposure to the solar eclipse are usually not felt until several hours later, Chu said.

“Eyes continue to work normally around the clock. As they go to bed and sleep that evening, that's when the damage starts to show. So when they open their eyes in the morning. (…) He explained that they suddenly realize that there is an area in their vision center that is not working and everything looks blurry.

Children may be especially vulnerable this year given the timing of the eclipse (between 2:15 p.m. and 4:36 p.m. in Montreal, when children are not under the strict supervision of their teachers).

But according to Zhou, keeping children at home is not a perfect solution either: “The problem then is that parents or guardians have to keep the children under control.”

Zhu said parents and schools should insist on teaching children and teenagers how to view the solar eclipse.

An important note is that these instructions may vary depending on where you are in Montreal.

“Montreal is an interesting situation because you have the northern part of the city under partial eclipse — you know, 99.5% coverage — and then you have the area down the river and on the way to the south.”

Zhu emphasized that it is safe to view only when the sun is completely covered. The moments before and after a total eclipse, when the sun is still visible behind the moon, must be viewed through special lenses.

Since the coverage in the northern part of the city is not complete, the glasses should remain constant: “No matter how small the shape of the moon is, it is still dangerous.”

Regular sunglasses won't do the trick either, Chu warned.

Specialized solar eclipse glasses are widely available online, but must meet the ISO 12312-2 standard — a standard Chu helped create in 2015.

“Sunglasses, even dark ones, only block 90% of the light. Therefore, only 10% of light passes through them. To look at the sun safely, you should have a filter that reduces the sun's brightness by a factor of about 200,000.'' (…) Giving 0.0003 percent”.

With files from CTV's Matt Gilmore.