Every time Chris Kerwin looks at the night sky, he is mesmerized by the beauty the universe puts at his feet every night for free. While this Saint John local has been working at a phone company for the last 20 years, his passion for astronomy runs even deeper.
“When I was a young boy – that wasn’t yesterday – I can remember going to a summer camp outside the city, lying in the grass in the middle of [a] hot August night and looking up at the stars, wondering if anybody was looking back.”
And on April 8, Kerwin is excited to share his hobby with the many people coming to New Brunswick to witness a total solar eclipse.
A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon comes between the Sun and Earth, completely obscuring the Sun’s face and thus darkening the sky as if it were dawn or dusk. The path of the eclipse goes from Mexico to New Brunswick, with specific areas such as Fredericton experiencing 100 per cent totality.
This natural occurrence is quite rare, with the last eclipse observed in the province dating back to 1932.
“When the Moon is too far away to cover the complete disk of the Sun, the circle that goes around the outside of the sun, that ring of fire they talk about it’s called the annulus,” he said. “That’s why we call it an annular eclipse.”
Due to their infrequency, Kerwin is confident that this once-in-a-lifetime total eclipse will boost tourism to the province.
“It’s completely magical. There’s nothing in my opinion, that’s a bigger celestial event than seeing the sun completely blocked,” he said.
Kerwin manages a Facebook page named Astronomy by the Bay, where he organizes stargazing events, promotes existing astronomical publications and shares his hobby with the people of Saint John.
However, he won’t stay in his beloved city this time to watch the eclipse. Instead, he is attending an event in the District of Carleton North, Florenceville-Bristol, headlined by astronaut Chris Hadfield, who has served in three space flights starting in 1995.
But Hadfield’s presence goes beyond his space experience, as he is also an experienced musician who knows how to keep a crowd entertained while giving them the facts in non-technical ways.
“There’s a large balloon going up. And the balloon is equipped with six cameras and it’s going to broadcast the live feed of the eclipse to six different locations along the western part of the province,” he said, adding that even if it is foggy that day, the cameras should be able to catch footage of the natural phenomenon.
The event is geared towards both experienced astronomers and amateurs alike, but it comes at a high cost. General admission is priced at $60 while VIP tickets cost $200.
For the people who want to enjoy the eclipse for cheaper, Fredericton Tourism is putting up an EclipseFest, which will include events going from Friday, April 5 to Monday, April 8.
Roshni Kollipara, events officer at Science East, said the science museum is preparing to have full capacity – around 150 people – for its collaboration with Fredericton Tourism.
“I think there will be a decent amount of travel. We’re preparing for a lot more people so that at least it doesn’t catch us by surprise,” she said.
Science East is also lending its travelling planetarium to the Fredericton Library, hoping to appeal to kids and families. The travelling planetarium is an inflatable dome with a 360 projector inside.
“[From] a science awareness and outreach perspective, [the eclipse is] also something that brings science to more of the forefront of people’s minds and increases awareness,” said Kollipara.
The science museum is selling $2 sunglasses for the upcoming eclipse event, which is geared toward children’s first eclipse. It will also be Kollipara’s first time being on the path of the celestial event.
“This is the first time I’m able to experience it myself, and the next one is going to be I think it’s 2079 [in N.B.],” she said. “That’s a long way away. So I guess it’s super interesting that I’m able to experience it.”
