TORONTO, August 12, 2026 – Toronto residents and people in parts of Canada will have a chance to see a partial solar eclipse this afternoon. In Toronto, the eclipse is expected to begin at around 12:55 p.m., reach its maximum at 1:40 p.m., and end at around 2:23 p.m. At its peak, about eight per cent of the sun will be covered by the moon.
Many people may still remember the dramatic eclipse on April 8, 2024. Although Toronto was not officially inside the path of totality at that time, more than 99 per cent of the sun was covered, and the sky became noticeably darker. Some parts of Ontario were able to see a true total solar eclipse. By comparison, today’s event will be much smaller.
The path of totality for the August 12 eclipse mainly crosses areas including Greenland, Iceland and Spain. Canada will only see varying degrees of a partial solar eclipse. Since Toronto is far from the total eclipse path, the sky is not expected to darken in the same way it did in 2024.
Residents who are interested in watching may choose beaches or parks with open views. Outdoor areas such as Woodbine Beach, Ashbridges Bay Park, Trillium Park and Riverdale Park East are all suitable places for viewing in Toronto.
However, safety is especially important. Regular sunglasses are not safe for viewing a solar eclipse. Viewers must wear eclipse glasses that meet proper safety standards or use a special solar filter. Phones, cameras, telescopes and other devices should not be pointed directly at the sun without protection, and people should not look through a camera viewfinder at the sun. Anyone taking photos must use a proper solar filter in front of the lens.
For those who do not have eclipse glasses, a pinhole projector made from a cardboard box can also be used. For example, a common cereal box can be easily turned into an eclipse viewing box, allowing people to observe the sun indirectly through projection instead of looking directly at it. NASA also lists pinhole projection as a safe indirect viewing method.
Weather permitting, residents who want to watch can pay attention to the partial solar eclipse around 1:40 p.m. today. Although it will be far less dramatic than the 2024 eclipse, it is still an astronomical event that can be seen directly from Toronto.（LJI by Yuanyuan）
