A Special Feature from our friends at Niagara Parks, Ontario.
Photos courtesy Niagara Parks, NASA. Lead image – an artist’s rendition of a total solar eclipse – courtesy Canadian Space Agency – for more on the eclipse, please see the website: https://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/astronomy/eclipses/solar-eclipses.asp
Niagara Parks Announces Event Lineup for Solar Eclipse
Join Niagara Parks on an extraordinary cosmic journey with an exclusive lineup of events leading up to the highly anticipated solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, happening directly over the iconic Niagara Falls.
This map illustrates the paths of the Moon’s shadow across the U.S. during the 2024 total solar eclipse. On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will cross North and Central America creating a path of totality. During a total solar eclipse, the Moon completely blocks the Sun while it passes between the Sun and Earth. The sky will darken as if it were dawn or dusk and those standing in the path of totality may see the Sun’s outer atmosphere (the corona) if weather permits. For more information, please visit https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/5123/
Click on the BLUE hot links to visit the websites of organizations referred to in this article.
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A SAFETY NOTE FROM https://www.weather.gov/fsd/suneclipse
DO NOT observe a solar eclipse with the naked eye. Serious eye damage can result.
Use approved solar filters or cut a pin hole in a shoe box and watch the Sun’s light cast through the pin hole onto a smooth surface such as cardboard.
The only portion of a solar eclipse which is safe to view without filters is the brief time during totality. Otherwise all partial solar eclipses need approved filters.
For approved filters, look for a certification of International Standard ISO 12312-2.
Niagara Parks properties will be at the centre of the path of totality for upcoming total solar eclipse on Monday, April 8, 2024
Free, interactive and educational programming for all ages across
the Niagara River corridor
For more information, please visit niagaraparks.com/eclipse
Niagara Falls, ONTARIO – Niagara Parks is planning a multi-day event schedule featuring interactive talks with subject matter experts from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), a mobile planetarium from Astronomy in Action, Toronto Metropolitan University’s SciXchange program and Mad Science activations, in celebration of the upcoming full solar eclipse on Monday, April 8, 2024.
Niagara Parks joins other destination partners in preparing for the monumental celestial event that is expected to draw many guests to the area for the unique chance of experiencing a full solar eclipse taking place above one of the world’s most iconic natural wonders.
Niagara Falls (Ontario and New York), as well as Fort Erie and Buffalo, New York, are located directly in the path of totality to experience a full solar eclipse, a celestial event that has not been visible from Ontario since the 1970s and will not be visible again in Niagara Falls until 2144. This means that this area will experience the longest period of time where the moon will completely eclipse the sun resulting in total darkness, making the destination a prime viewing spot.
Niagara Parks and New York State Park are jointly hosting a number of NASA and CSA subject matter experts who will be participating in engaging talks and Q&A sessions at various sites across both sides of the border. Additionally, Niagara Parks will be hosting diverse, educational programming for all ages at four locations across the Niagara River corridor in the days leading up to and including Monday, April 8, 2024.
Niagara Parks Power Station and Tunnel
Dates: Friday – Monday (April 5 – 8, 2024)
At the Niagara Parks Power Station, Astronomy in Action will be bringing their mobile planetarium and educators to encourage hands-on, immersive learning about the solar system and the significance of the solar eclipse. Niagara Parks’ newest attraction will also be the host site for a number of interactive talks and Q&A sessions with NASA and CSA scientists, as well as a guest speaker that explores the solar eclipse and themes of astronomy from an Indigenous perspective. While attendance is free, guests are required to register online in advance for the NASA and CSA talks (registration will be available on Niagara Parks’ website shortly).
Table Rock Centre
Table Rock CentreDates: Saturday – Monday (April 6 – 8)
Located at the brink of the Canadian Horseshoe Falls, Table Rock Centre will be a one-stop shop for families throughout the weekend of April 6 – 8, 2024, hosting free Mad Science programming for kids, while also offering guests access to Niagara Parks’ top attraction Journey Behind the Falls, a variety of culinary options, great shopping, as well as one of the top viewing locations for the solar eclipse. Mad Science will be onsite at Table Rock Centre with their FunStations and Exploration Stations from Saturday through Monday, inviting kids of all ages to take part in fun and interactive workshops and activities.
Niagara Parks Butterfly Conservatory
Dates: Saturday – Monday (April 6 – 8, 2024)
Travelling north on the Niagara Parkway, the Butterfly Conservatory will be another key site hosting special programming and activities for guests over the weekend. Niagara Parks is partnering with Toronto Metropolitan University to bring their award-winning SciXchange program to the Butterfly Conservatory, providing hands-on activities related to STEM learning. On Monday, April 8, 2024, an astronomer from Toronto Metropolitan University will be onsite at the attraction engaging with guests to learn more about the significance of the solar eclipse.
Old Fort Erie
Dates: Friday – Monday (April 5 – 8, 2024)
In the south, Niagara Parks’ Old Fort Erie will be open and accessible to guests on the day of the eclipse, as well as a host site for engaging talks and Q&A sessions with NASA and CSA scientists. While attendance is free, guests are required to register online in advance for the NASA and CSA talks (registration will be available on Niagara Parks’ website shortly).
All programming related to the solar eclipse is free for guests to attend. Guests are required to register online in advance for the sessions with NASA & CSA scientists as space is limited. Registration will be available on Niagara Parks’ website as the schedule for guest speakers is confirmed. The Astronomy in Action programming at the Niagara Parks Power Station is planned to take place outdoors in the Sandie Bellows Plaza; however, should weather be an issue, the programming will be moved indoors and included with admission.
More information on Niagara Parks’ programming for the solar eclipse can be found at niagaraparks.com/eclipse.
Travelling from the GTA
The GO Niagara Train Service makes it even easier to plan a weekend or day trip to Niagara Falls to view the solar eclipse, including combo packages that bundle both the GO Train and WEGO Niagara Parks bus service once you arrive! Children 12 and under ride free on GO Transit, which means a child ticket for the GO+WEGO packages are even more affordable!
To learn more and view GO Train schedules, please visit niagaraparks.com/go.
Safety and Road Closures
Niagara Parks reminds all guests travelling to the area to view the solar eclipse to exercise safe viewing practices. Except during the period of totality where the moon covers the sun, protective glasses or filters are to be used when looking at the sun during an eclipse. Complimentary viewing glasses and filters will be available for guests attending Niagara Parks’ solar eclipse programming on Monday, April 8, 2024, while supplies last.
Road closures will be in effect within the core area of Queen Victoria Park (Clifton Hill to Fraser Hill) and in the Town of Fort Erie to allow pedestrian access and alleviate traffic congestion on Monday, April 8, 2024. Niagara Parks will be offering a flat rate of $10 at its Rapidsview Parking Lot with a shuttle to Table Rock Centre during the road closures. Further details around the road closure plan will be announced closer to the date including exact locations and times.
About Niagara Parks
Since its establishment in 1885, Niagara Parks has remained a self-financed agency of the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, entrusted to preserve and protect the land surrounding Niagara Falls and the Niagara River. Today, Niagara Parks boasts gardens, a horticulture school, recreation, golf courses, restaurants, heritage and historic sites, gift shops and, of course, Niagara Falls. In short, natural landscapes, history, family fun, hiking, culinary delights, attractions and adventure.
For more information, please visit niagaraparks.com