Quebec app helps amateur astronomers watch the eclipse
Amateur astronomers or one-time eclipse enthusiasts can now use a new bilingual app to ensure they get the best experience on April 8.
The app My Eclipse is a 21st-century tool for this age-old phenomenon, created by the Quebec Federation of Amateur Astronomers (FAAQ).
According to Alain Préfontaine, a project manager with the FAAQ, the app has three main objectives: informational, historical and scientific.
The goal, says Préfontaine, is to give people a wealth of information about eclipses and prepare them with the best ways to observe the changing sky.
The app provides details such as letting users know if they are standing in the line of complete totality -- that is, when they can take their glasses off to look at the eclipse and when they should put them back on.
"People realize that if you go to totality, especially a long period of totality, you're going to enjoy the eclipse tremendously," said Préfontaine. "There's a huge difference between a 99 per cent covered sun and totality."
He calls the marvel almost "esoteric."
"Everything changes, darkness comes; human nature has been guided by the sun coming up in the morning, going down at night for thousands of years," Préfontaine points out. "All of a sudden, at 3:30 p.m., the sun's going to disappear...People are marked by that."
The federation worked with programmers from Université de Montréal for over a year to create the app and tested it out for the first time last October during a partial eclipse.
The app isn't just for the total eclipse on April 8; Préfontaine says it is up to date until 2032.
"We won't have any total eclipses in Quebec, but they happen somewhere on the globe every year, year-and-a-half," said Préfontaine. "Many of them are going to be visible as partial eclipses from here, so you can use it for those. Or if you get on a plane and go to Europe or Africa or wherever, you can bring the app with you and it's going to give you the same quality information."
That means users can use the app no matter where they are in the world.
"Because of geo-localization, it's going to know where you are, and it's going to give you real-time messages as to what's happening around you," he said.
The last total eclipse viewable from Montreal was in 1932; the next isn't expected until 2106.
To download the My Eclipse app, click here for iOS and here for Android.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Baby and grandparents killed in wrong-way crash involving police on Ontario's Highway 401
An infant and the child's grandparents – aged 55 and 60 – were all killed when a vehicle being pursued by police in the wrong direction on Highway 401 in Whitby, Ont. caused a crash involving at least six vehicles, the Special Investigations Unit says. The driver of the suspect vehicle also died.
Judge holds Trump in contempt, fines him US$9,000 and raises threat of jail in hush money trial
Donald Trump was held in contempt of court Tuesday and fined US$9,000 for repeatedly violating a gag order that barred him from making public statements about witnesses, jurors and some others connected to his New York hush money case. If he does it again, the judge warned, he could be jailed.
McGill requests 'police assistance' over pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University says it has 'requested police assistance' about the pro-Palestinian encampment on its lower field.
New cancer treatment approved, but not everyone thinks it's what's best for patients
A new cancer treatment recently approved in Canada promises to cut treatment time down to just minutes, but experts have differing opinions on whether it's what's best for patients.
Air Canada walks back new seat selection policy change after backlash
Air Canada has paused a new seat selection fee for travellers booked on the lowest fares just days after implementing it.
Province boots mayor and council in small northern Ont. town out of office
An ongoing municipal strike, court battles and revolt by half of council has prompted the province to oust the mayor and council in Black River-Matheson.
This is how many dentists have actually signed up for Canada's new free dental program
A new Canadian dental care program is offering the hope of free care to millions, but while 1.7 million people have signed up for the plan, only about 5,000 dentists have done the same.
Sword-wielding man attacks passersby in London, killing a 13-year-old boy and injuring 4 others
A man wielding a sword attacked members of the public and police officers in a east London suburb early Tuesday, killing a 13-year-old boy and injuring four others, authorities said.
Police searching for 'armed man' in Dartmouth, N.S., residents asked to shelter in place
Residents in the area of Gaston Road in Dartmouth, N.S., are being asked to shelter in place as police search for an armed suspect.