Upcoming April Solar Eclipse
22-03-2024
On Monday, April 8th our region (including Hamilton, Burlington and Brantford) will be in the path of a total solar eclipse. This means the sun will be entirely hidden for approximately two minutes, starting at about 3:15 pm, and the sun will be partially covered from about 2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
During a solar eclipse, when the moon blocks the brightness, the sun’s effects are still damaging. Regular sunglasses do not provide adequate protection during an eclipse – solar eclipse viewers must be worn.
On the day of the eclipse, for everyone’s safety and well-being, all children in YMCA Child Care will remain indoors from 2:00 pm – 4:30 pm, the duration of the total solar eclipse. Additionally, we would advise that families avoid picking their children up from child care during the peak of the total eclipse (3:00 pm – 3:30 pm) as overall visibility will be diminished.
All other locations, including our Health, Fitness and Aquatics branches and Employment and Immigrant Services offices, will operate as usual. We recommend our members and clients take standard precautions during the eclipse and avoid looking directly at the sun unless they are wearing the appropriate solar eclipse viewers.
Here is some additional information provided by Hamilton Public Health for families with children:
Hamilton Public Health – Solar Eclipse Safety
If you’d like to learn more about the eclipse, and eclipse safety, here are some additional resources:
https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/future-eclipses/eclipse-2024/safety/
