How to Safely Prepare for the Solar Eclipse with Your Students

There is good reason to be excited about the total solar eclipse on April 8: the next one in Montreal is not due until 2096, and that one will only be close to total, as the Sun will still be visible as a ring of light around the Moon. Therefore, you will not want to waste a second during the upcoming solar eclipse, which will last a mere minute and a half in Montreal and three minutes in Sherbrooke.

Wondering how exactly a solar eclipse works? The Association pour l’enseignement de la science et de la technologie au Québec (AESTQ) and Discover the Universe, an astronomy training program, have created a video to prepare teachers and parents for the endless questions children will soon be asking.

In addition, Discover the Universe now offers workshops and webinars for teachers who want to develop lesson plans about the eclipse.

Of course, observing an eclipse requires a little preparation. Here are a few tools to help you dive into the topic with your class:

• This interactive map shows the exact path the solar eclipse will follow on April 8, 2024.

• The official site of eclipses in Quebec provides quality information on all types of eclipses, which you can use to compare lunar and solar eclipses with your students.

• Alloprof’s eclipse fact sheet is based on the Progression of Learning and explains everything there is to know about this astronomical phenomenon.

For the duration of the eclipse, it is essential to ensure that students avoid looking directly at the Sun, even as it grows dark. These moments are the most dangerous, because students will not instinctively feel the need to look away. It is safe to look directly at the eclipse only during the few seconds when the Sun is completely blocked out.

Below are three approved ways to view the eclipse while protecting your eyes.

1. ISO 12312-2 Glasses and Approved Filters
   
   Eclipse glasses and filters are the only devices that allow you to safely look directly at the Sun. They are specially designed to protect the eyes from harmful rays. Here are a few websites where you can buy them:
   
   - The Monarch Butterfly Eclipse Project
   - Funique
   - Rainbow Symphony
   - Eclipse Glasses by American Paper Optics
   
   You can find even more resources on the website of Éclipse Québec. In addition, on the day of the eclipse, experts from the Montreal planetarium and Space for Life will be at Parc Jean-Drapeau to share their knowledge and hand out a limited number of free eclipse glasses to visitors who need them.

2. Pinhole Projection
   
   This is the least expensive viewing method, since it uses only recycled materials. Here is what you will need:
   
   - A shoebox with the lid (or a box of similar size)
   - Scissors
   - Aluminum foil
   - A needle
   - A piece of white paper
   
   Once you have all the materials, follow these instructions from Space for Life.
   
   During the partial phases of the eclipse, any small opening can be used as a pinhole to observe the changing sun indirectly. For instance, you can use a perforated household object such as a colander or skimmer to project crescents of light onto a white sheet of paper.

3. Binocular Projection
   
   This option must be carried out under supervision to ensure that no student looks at the Sun through the binoculars. It involves using the binoculars to project an image onto a sheet of white paper. Position the binoculars so that the shape of the Sun appears on the sheet, then use the focus wheel to sharpen the image. As the Moon covers the Sun, the projected disc of light will become a crescent, growing thinner and thinner until it disappears.

There are plenty of educational activities to choose from to get your students pumped up about the solar eclipse. Here is a hand-picked list of recommendations from the Alloprof Teachers team.

• Eclipse mask. This is a nearly foolproof way to make sure your students wear their eclipse glasses properly. For some added fun, encourage them to decorate their masks by drawing their best alien face.

• My Eclipse app. The Fédération des astronomes amateurs du Québec designed this app (available for Android and iOS) to enhance the eclipse-viewing experience.

• Discover the Universe teaching resources. Organized by Canadian astronomers, Discover the Universe is an astronomy training program for teachers.

• DIY sun prints. This experiment combines art and science to demonstrate the power of the Sun’s rays.

• Alloprof’s printable astronomy vocabulary activity.

• Outer space–related book recommendations for elementary and high school students.

Enjoy the eclipse!