On April 8, the sky will temporarily darken as a total solar eclipse is expected to pass across North America. 

A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and the earth, blocking the face of the sun. 

Vance Petriew, president of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada Regina Centre, said a total eclipse is fairly rare. 

“They do happen once or twice a year at the most. Sometimes you can go for quite a few years without having anything in your local area,” he said. 

While staring directly at the sun can damage your eyes, Petriew said there are a few ways you can watch the eclipse safely. He recommended solar glasses or number 14 welding glasses. He said number 10 welding glasses are often used but are not dark enough. 

If you don’t have fancy equipment to protect your eyes, Petriew said there are other ways to safely watch the eclipse. 

“The easiest way is to actually use like a pinhole camera. Take a piece of paper, put a little pinhole in it and hold it up against the wall. You’ll see the sun projected on the wall,” Petriew added.

He continued stating that weather could play a role in viewing the solar eclipse, and you may not get a good glimpse of the event if the sky is too cloudy.