How, when and where to watch the solar eclipse in Calgary

It's being called the GreatAmerican Eclipse but Calgarians can get theirown view of the stellar phenomenon when the moon blocks out the sun on Monday.

While a solar eclipseisn't all that rare, theeclipse taking place Aug. 21 will be the first total eclipse to cross the continentalUnitedStates since 1918,says Don Hladiuk, a regular columniston all things astronomical withthe Calgary Eyeopener.

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"So it's a long time since one has crossed the entire continent," Hladiuksaid. "For a partial eclipse for Calgarians, the last one was in October of 2014. But this one is special because there's a totality phase to it."

When and where

SouthernAlbertanswill have a better view of the eclipse than those in the northern part of the province.

Hladiuksaid the eclipse is "all aboutgeometry," and because of the angleof the moon, the eclipse will look more complete closer to the U.S. border.

"So for Calgary, at around 10:23in the morningyou'll start to see the first bite of the moon crossing the face of the sun,"Hladiuksaid.

Hladiuksaid the entire event will last a bit more than two and a half hours and be wrapped up before 1 p.m.

"Maximum eclipse for Calgary will happen around 11:33 in the morning, and you'll see 81 per cent of the sun covered, which is a pretty good blockage,"Hladiuksaid.

Telus Spark will hosttheOperationExplore: Great North American Eclipse Partyfor people looking to enjoy the eclipse with other amateur astronomers.

TheUniversity of Calgaryis havinga solar eclipsepop-up observatory in the courtyard on the south side of the Engineering Complexfrom 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

How to watch safely

Hladiuksaid it's unsafe to look at an eclipse with the naked eye but there are a number of safe ways to view the phenomenon including a pinhole camera.

Instructions on how to make a pinhole projector using common household items are available online through the American Astronomical Society.

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"You're not looking at the sun, you're looking at a projected image," Hladiuksaid. "So for families with children, this might be one of the safest methods for looking at the sun."

Eclipse safety glasses sold out in many stores

Because of the popularity of the upcoming eclipse, anumber ofCalgary-area business have sold out ofspecial safety lenses for viewing the eclipse.

Asof Tuesday afternoon, theTelusSpark science centre had been cleared out of itsstock ofprotective lenses.

All London Drugs, Toys R Usand Best Buy locationsin Calgary werealso sold out.

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Online retailer Amazon issued a recall on safety lenses on the weekend after learning many brands sold by the company"may not comply with industry standards," Amazon said in a statement.

Because of the recall, the American Astronomical Societyissueda list ofverifiedvendors andwebsitesthat sell light-filtering eclipse glasses.

With proper filtering lenses becoming harder to come by,Hladiuksaid evena set of No. 14 welder's glasses would safely filter out the harmful effects of the eclipse.

"I can't say enough about this donot look at the sun without proper tools or equipment,"Hladiuksaid.

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• With files from the Calgary Eyeopener