In addition to the usual meteor showers and planetary observations, 2024 will be marked by the most incredible astronomical event of the early 21st century in Quebec: A total solar eclipse, the first of its kind to be visible in our part of the world in half a century.
Quebec has not witnessed a total solar eclipse since July 10, 1972, when the Moon’s shadow swept across the North Shore and Gaspé Peninsula. Cap-Chat was practically on the centreline of the eclipse, and many amateur astronomers and curious onlookers gathered there at the time. The last total solar eclipse in Canada occurred on August 1, 2008, but was visible only in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, in Nunavut.
The April 8, 2024, solar eclipse will be total in a narrow corridor, just 200 kilometres wide but stretching more than 14,700 kilometres from the Pacific to the Atlantic. This “path of totality,” as it is known, crosses Mexico, travels through the United States from Texas to Maine, enters southern and eastern Ontario, and cuts across southern Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland. The eclipse will be partial to varying degrees elsewhere in North America, Central America and the Caribbean.
In Quebec, the phenomenon reaches its maximum in mid-afternoon, at around 3:27 p.m. The island of Montreal straddles the northern limit of the path of totality, so the predicted duration of the total eclipse varies from zero to about a minute and a half, depending on your exact location. People on the South Shore will be able to get closer to the centre of the eclipse’s path, where the phenomenon will last the longest: In some places in the Eastern Townships, the total eclipse will last more than three and a half minutes!
A total solar eclipse is a must-see for everyone at least once in their life. It’s a unique experience that even a 99.9% partial solar eclipse in surrounding areas will never match! If you’re not already inside the path of totality on April 8, make an effort to do so. You won’t regret it.
That said, as the early April skies in southern Quebec are often cloudy, mobility will be the key to success: Depending on the weather forecast, and with a few hours’ notice, you’ll be able to adjust your location within the path of totality to maximize your chances of admiring this rare, spectacular phenomenon in the best possible conditions.
Visit our website at espacepourlavie.ca/en/eclipse2024 for details, maps and suggestions for safe viewing methods.
Other eclipses in 2024
The April 8 eclipse won’t be the only one to occur in 2024. There will in fact be four—two lunar and two solar—but only the two lunar eclipses will be observable from North America. The second solar eclipse this year, an annular one, is slated for October 2, but you’ll have to be in the Pacific Ocean or South America to see it.
The penumbral lunar eclipse on March 25 will be unremarkable, except for a subtle darkening along the southern part of the Moon which will be visible around the maximum at about 3:12 a.m. EDT. The partial lunar eclipse on September 17 will have a slightly greater visual impact, although it will be very shallow; only a small section of the lunar disc’s northern portion will enter Earth’s umbral shadow for 62 minutes, from 10:13 p.m. to 11:15 p.m. EDT. The next total lunar eclipse entirely visible from Quebec will occur on the night of May 13-14, 2025.
Meteor showers
Avid night sky observers have a soft spot for shooting stars. While the famous Perseids in August are the most well-known—for obvious weather reasons—they are not the only meteor showers that take place throughout the year. In fact, the first meteor showers of the year, the Quadrantids, grace the skies in early January. They are regarded as very intense but short-lived and difficult to observe. If the sky is clear and cloudless in the final hours on the night of January 3-4, and you effectively conceal the last quarter Moon behind an obstacle to avoid being dazzled, you could expect to see about 20 or so Quadrantids per hour. Among the other major annual meteor showers, the Eta Aquarids (early May) and the Perseids (mid-August) will take place under quite favourable conditions in 2024.
Planetary events
Two bright planets draw our attention at nightfall in January. Jupiter is clearly recognizable, blazing like a beacon very high in the south in the early evening, outshining all other nighttime celestial objects, except for the visiting gibbous Moon on January 18. The giant planet will accompany our evenings until March and then disappear for a few weeks, washed out by the Sun’s brilliance; it will return to the morning sky in June and be at its best later in the fall, reaching opposition on December 7.
Saturn is also visible in the early evening in January. The ringed planet is much fainter than Jupiter, however, making it more difficult to spot: It’s the brightest object located about 20 degrees above the southwestern horizon at around 6 p.m. The lunar crescent lies 7 degrees to its upper left on the evening of January 14. But the ringed planet sinks ever closer to the horizon and disappears in the glare of sunset as of February. After its passage behind the Sun, Saturn gradually re-emerges at dawn in April and moves to within ½ a degree of Mars on the morning of April 10. The best conditions for observing Saturn will occur during the summer and early fall, with the planet at opposition on the night of September 7-8.
Despite its exceptional glow, Venus will not have a good year in terms of visibility. In January, the beautiful Morning Star still shines at dawn, 30 to 45 minutes before sunrise; on the morning of January 8, admire the lunar crescent hanging 7 degrees from the planet. Over the next few weeks, however, you’ll notice that Venus gradually loses elevation, eventually disappearing in the glow of dawn sometime in March. After passing behind the Sun on June 4, Venus will gradually reappear in the evening sky as of July, but will stay very low on the western horizon at twilight over the following months. Not till the last few weeks of the year does the beautiful Evening Star finally gain some height in the early evening, thus improving its visibility.
Since it is always close to the Sun, Mercury is the most discreet and difficult planet to spot, whether at dawn or dusk. During the first mornings of 2024, it can be found 8 degrees above the southeastern horizon, a half-hour before sunrise; look for a small dot of light, a dozen or so degrees to the lower left of stunning Venus. Viewing conditions for Mercury will be best for a few days around January 7, after which the planet gradually moves toward the Sun and loses altitude; however, it will remain visible at dawn right through the end of January. Mercury’s most favourable apparitions in 2024 will be from March 8 to April 1 in the evening sky, and from August 28 to September 19 in the morning sky.
Mars remains inconspicuous for most of the year. The Red Planet passed behind the Sun on November 18 and is slowly returning to the morning sky; as it is fairly dim and stays very low on the horizon during the first weeks of 2024, we’ll have to wait until March before we can spot Mars in the glow of dawn, very low on the east-southeastern horizon. The situation will gradually improve, however, and Mars will become considerably brighter and more prominent by the end of the year, just a few weeks from its opposition on January 15, 2025.
Happy astronomical year 2024 and happy skygazing!