Total Solar Eclipse
What is a Total Solar Eclipse?
A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth, completely covering the face of the Sun. When the Moon covers the entire disk of the sun, the sky will darken, as if it were dawn or dusk. So, the temperature drops, and the birds become quiet, while the stars and planets become more visible. The Moon's shadow sweeps over the Earth's surface.
The shadow consists of two parts; the umbra, a cone in which no direct sunlight penetrates and the penumbra, which is reached by the light from only a part of the Suns disk.
The diameter of the sun is about 400 times the Moons, but also about 400 times further away, which makes the total solar eclipse possible.
Weather permitting, people in the path of a total solar eclipse can see the Suns corona, the outer atmosphere, which is otherwise obscured by the bright face of the Sun.
The total solar eclipse will cross North America, passing over Mexico, the United States and Canada. There is a partial eclipse happening in October as well.
On April 8th, 2024, millions of people will have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness an astronomical event, a total solar eclipse. Central New Brunswick will be in the direct path a total solar eclipse—the first time since the year 932 at this location. Whether you're a seasoned astronomer or simply a curious observer, this event is something that you should not miss.
Schedule of Events Happening Throughout the Region
Solar Balloon Telescope Project
An interesting project planned for the region is a unique project to develop a balloon-borne solar telescope that will be launched in Florenceville-Bristol by an unmanned high-altitude balloon.
The overall purpose of the project is to provide live, magnified telescopic images of the total eclipse taken from the stratosphere and broadcast to ground-based audiences in a few locations in the Western Valley of New Brunswick and potentially to a world-wide audience via the internet. One of the advantages of this project is that, in the event it is cloudy on eclipse day, the balloon will be well above the clouds and able to send images back to the audience in a safe manner for viewing on the ground. The balloon will go as high as 30,000 meters before descending back to the ground.
The original idea for the project came from David Hunter, a Florenceville-Bristol resident. David has assembled a first-class team with expertise in engineering, math and physics, among other disciplines. The science engineering team has been working on the project for over two years. It is a very sophisticated project, and we believe it will be the first time that a non-governmental group has successfully live-streamed a total eclipse.
There are also significant regulatory and safety aspects to the launching and recovery of the payload, including obtaining Transport Canada and Navcan approvals.
All of the members of the Balloon Solar Eclipse team are volunteers and they have put in countless hours to designing and implementing the project. There have been three test launches so far and another is expected in October. The team has also had the support of a number of local businesses, including JD Irving and Bell Canada. The RSC and District of Carleton North have also provided ongoing support.
There is tremendous and growing interest in this is amazing idea which will happen right here in the Western New Brunswick.
AND YOU CAN
WATCH IT LIVE ON YOUTUBE!!
2024 Eclipse Up Close - YouTube
Contact Us
Eclipse NB 2024
