Eclipse fever is sweeping southeastern Ontario.
On April 8, a general solar eclipse will pass over several cities along the waterway, including Kingston, Ontario. On Monday, the city began distributing loose solar eclipse glasses to residents.
Queen’s University partnered with Kingston Frontenac Public Library to distribute the cups at branches.
“We started thinking about it in 2021,” said Nikhil Arora, an astrophysicist at Queen’s and a member of the university’s eclipse working group. “It’s just the initial phase of making plans about what we can do in the city, how we generate excitement and schooling and information that you can have about this eclipse.
Glasses are mandatory to practice the eclipse safely. If used correctly, permanent damage to the retina can occur.
“The significance of the eclipse is really just before totality and immediately after, there are still those destructive UV rays,” explained Dr. Yi Ning Strube, a pediatric ophthalmologist at Kingston Health Science Center.
The Calvin Park library had already distributed about 2,000 pairs as of mid-afternoon Monday, a sure sign that the city is ahead of April 8.
A sign indicating where to pick up solar eclipse glasses at the Calvin Park Branch Public Library in Kingston, Ont. , March 25, 2024. (Jack Richardson/CTV News Ottawa)
Last week, the city issued an alert saying it expects about a million people to come to Kingston for the event, as major cities like Toronto and Ottawa likely wouldn’t enjoy a total eclipse.
The Shopping Trends team is independent of CTV News journalists. We would possibly earn a commission when you use our links to make purchases. Read about us.