Total solar eclipse 2024: What to expect [Video]

Crowds from near and far, united in celestial anticipation, have started to gather along the Canadian path of the total solar eclipse.

When does the eclipse start?

The path of totality, where the sun goes directly behind the moon, will first cross through southwestern Ontario around 3:15 p.m. and move east through Quebec and Atlantic Canada before exiting Newfoundland around 3:45 p.m. eastern time.

• Where and when to watch the solar eclipse LIVE online

Cities and towns along the path of totality have braced for their populations to swell with eclipse chasers, with Ontario’s Niagara region declaring a preemptive state of emergency.

Iyalie Russell and Gabby Gregor say their path to the solar eclipse watch spot of Niagara Falls, Ont., started in a history of astronomy course last year at York University. There, they sparked up a friendship and laid their plans to eventually watch the solar eclipse together.

“We’ve watched lunar eclipses before together …