How to make today's total eclipse a stellar experience

Monday afternoon's solar eclipse, which will see the moon pass in front of the sun over the course of roughly two hours, has been hailed as a once-in-a-lifetime event.

In Ottawa-Gatineau, for a few minutes around 3:25 p.m., roughly 99 per cent of the sun will be obscured.

Further to the south in what's called the "path of totality," places including Kingston and Cornwall will be shrouded in full darkness.

The ideal view depends on a break in a pretty cloudy afternoon forecast.

With parties taking place, schools shutting down and even pet owners being urged to take precautions, it's definitely no ordinary day in eastern Ontario.

Here's what you need to know to make the whole experience a stellar one.

The path of totality through eastern Ontario, southern Quebec and Upstate New York. The blue line shows the centre of the path where the eclipse will last about three and a half minutes. (eclipse2024.org)

Where to experience total darkness

In eastern Ontario, the path of totality hugs the St. Lawrence River and Highway 401, including the communities of Kingston, Cornwall, Morrisburg, Brockville and Gananoque.

With potentially hundreds of thousands of eclipse-watchers arriving Monday, Kingston is throwing a big party at Grass Creek Park from 1 to 4 p.m.

The celebration will include food vendors, a beer tent and a cover band performing Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety. There will also be "eclipse ambassadors" from Queen's University on hand to guide people through the experience.

Those same ambassadors will also be on hand at a variety of other sites in the city including Lake Ontario Park, the Invista Centre, and several community centres and schools.

The Fort Henry National Historic Site is also holding its own event, although it's sold out.

Confederation Park along Lake Ontario in Kingston early Monday afternoon, before the total eclipse. (Dan Taekema/CBC)

Closer to Morrisburg, Upper Canada Village is welcoming people to take in the eclipse at the Battle of Crysler's Farm National Historic Site between 1 and 4:30 p.m. Parking passes have sold out.

Gananoque will host a viewing party at Joel Stone Park, while the festivities in Brockville will take place at Blockhouse Island.

In Cornwall, there will be a viewing party at Lamoureux Park Monday afternoon with live music, food trucks and a drum circle.

What to do in Ottawa

While the city isn't planning any festivities for Monday, there are other organized events taking place.

The Canada Aviation and Space Museum is offering eclipse-related programming throughout the day including workshops on making pinhole viewers.

Staff will also let people view the eclipse through solar-filtered binoculars and magnified solar projectors. The museum will also stream the eclipse live in its theatre.

The Canadian Museum of Nature will host a viewing on its plaza, while also streaming the eclipse indoors.

Getting around

With people travelling long distances to catch the celestial spectacle, communities in the path of totality are preparing for major traffic disruptions.

This map sets out the road closures and lane reductions in Kingston during Monday's eclipse. (City of Kingston)

In Kingston, that means full or partial road closures in the city centre including a long stretch of King Street between Mowat Avenue and Barrie Street to allow for emergency hospital access.

The city is also warning of "dynamic" road closures throughout the day.

The federally owned LaSalle Causeway is closed for the foreseeable future after a construction incident on March 30. People are asked to use the Waaban Crossing to the north.

Kingston Transit is free Monday, with service pausing around the time of the eclipse.

Some events may also have shuttles running to and from their sites. Check their websites for more information.

Many communities in the path of totality are urging residents to either view the eclipse from home to reduce traffic, or to walk, bike or take transit to viewing parties.

If you have to be driving around elipse time, don't stop at the side of the road to watch for safety reasons. Parking lots are a preferred place to pull over.

In Ottawa, the vast majority of city services will operate as usual, with a few minor disruptions.

In addition to protecting your eyes from the sun's rays, eclipse glasses can also keep your phone's camera safe. (Dave Chidley/The Canadian Press)

What's the forecast?

There's a chance, unfortunately, that clouds get in the way of a perfect eclipse experience in some parts of the region.

As of late Monday morning, Environment Canada was calling for mainly cloudy skies this afternoon in Brockville, Gananoque, Kingston and Ottawa.

The forecast is cloudy with a chance of showers in Belleville.

Cornwall's prediction is a mix of sun and cloud.

About 100 people were lined up to get eclipse viewing glasses around 10 a.m. Monday in Cornwall. (Matéo Garcia-Tremblay/Radio-Canada)

Protecting your eyes

Anyone planning to view the sun directly needs to wear special eclipse glasses, as regular sunglasses do not offer enough protection.

At this point, the best option may be to buy your own glasses. Many institutions that had been offering pairs for free, including both the Ottawa Public Library and the Kingston Frontenac Public Library, have now run out.

Some of the viewing events and parties note that glasses will be available on site, either for free or for purchase.

If you can't get proper eye protection in time for Monday, you can still view the eclipse indirectly by building your own pinhole projector out of cardboard and aluminum foil.