Next Monday, April 8, in the middle of the afternoon, southern Quebec will witness a rare and spectacular phenomenon: a total solar eclipse, the last of this type visible in our region before the year 2106.
One would think that such an event would be celebrated by schools and school service centers (CSS) across the province, who would make it a moment of scientific learning that students would remember for a long time. But the reality is quite different: several CSSs have instead decided to wash their hands of the matter by closing schools that day, decreeing a “special” educational leave in the name of student safety and the apparent difficulty of observe the eclipse without danger.
It is not wrong to say that observing a solar eclipse poses very real risks for those who do not know how to protect their eyes adequately. Normally, it is impossible to observe the Sun with the naked eye: its brilliance blinds us and provokes the reflex to close our eyes and look away. But during a solar eclipse, more particularly during the deep partial phases which precede and follow totality, the Moon masks a significant fraction of the disk of our star; then comes a time when the Sun is overall less blinding, but when every element of its surface that is still visible is just as bright as before. Unprotected observation of such a “crescent Sun” can cause irreparable burns to the retina.
What to do, then? Lock students in their classes? Confine them to the basement at home? These are cowardly solutions, unworthy of our role as teachers and educators. On Wednesday, the Association for the Teaching of Science and Technology in Quebec described the decision of certain CSSs to close the doors of their schools on April 8 as “total madness”.
Fortunately, there are completely safe ways to observe a solar eclipse that allow even the youngest to fully enjoy the spectacle. There is a lot of talk these days about approved eclipse glasses, which many have managed to obtain, but which have become very rare on the market since the public became aware of what awaits us on April 8. It would be dangerous to turn to online purchasing, since several people in bad faith have sensed a good deal by marketing glasses whose quality cannot be verified. If in doubt, it is better to abstain.
Remember that eclipse glasses (the real ones) block more than 99.99% of the Sun’s light, which allows it to be observed without danger. You can of course share the same pair of glasses with several people, who take turns observing the eclipse for a few seconds. There are also indirect means of observation, even safer, where we observe an image of the eclipsed Sun projected at the bottom of a shoebox or on a white sheet placed on the ground. For this purpose, a simple strainer works miracles! This is certainly the preferred method with younger children. The Éclipse Québec website (eclipsequebec.ca) is full of advice and observation tips for admiring the eclipse safely.
The totality of the eclipse on April 8 will occur around 3:30 p.m., depending on the location from which you observe. We can understand school authorities scratching their heads wondering what to do, since this time of day generally corresponds to the end of classes and the return of students home, often by school bus. The person driving the bus cannot reasonably be asked to watch the students at the same time — and who wants to watch a total eclipse from a school bus?
Several CSS have announced clear and inventive instructions in order to ensure adequate supervision of students by keeping them at school until the end of the afternoon that day: staggering class times, delaying school transportation, special activities in daycare, etc. With a minimum of training offered by the CSS themselves or organizations dedicated to promoting safe eclipse observation, it is entirely possible for school teaching staff to supervise an eclipse observation without danger to students.
In secondary school, we could even imagine some simple experiments to be carried out during the eclipse, under the supervision of science teachers, such as measuring the ambient brightness, the variation in temperature and barometric pressure, the speed and the wind direction, etc. What a great learning opportunity in a real scientific context!
In the opinion of a large number of observers, a total solar eclipse is the most striking spectacle that nature has to offer us, and enthusiasts do not hesitate to travel to the four corners of the world to see, if only for a few minutes, in the shadow of the Moon. On April 8, we will have the chance to witness the phenomenon from our backyard, literally, and it will be a unique opportunity to share it with all students in Quebec. Who knows what scientific vocations will arise from this lifelong experience? Provided, of course, that the students are not deprived of it…