Solar eclipse will be the skywatching event of the year in Toronto

The 2017 solar eclipse is set to be the skywatching event of the year in Toronto. Mark your calendars early because you don't want to miss something that's rarely seen from our city. The last time we saw a solar eclipse from Toronto was in 2014, but the coverage of the sun was much smaller than what we'll see this summer.

Before 2014, the last major solar eclipse visible from Toronto was all the way back in 1994, when we were treated to an amazing view of an annular eclipse.

What's being called the Great American Eclipse of 2017 will take place on August 21, starting in the late morning on the West Coast. This is a total eclipse for a long stretch of the US, but in Toronto we'll see about 70 per cent coverage, which will be enough to dim the sun's light to eerie levels should the weather cooperate.

The partial eclipse will become visible in Toronto shortly after 1 p.m. and reach its maximum point at 2:32 p.m. The moon will conclude its pass of the sun from our vantage point at 3:49 p.m.

If this all sounds so exciting that you want to plan a road trip to witness the total eclipse, there are a host of American destinations that will experience long periods of totality (the moment when the moon completely blocks the sun). This is the first total eclipse in the US since 1979, so it's going to a massive event in the social media age.

Better make plans early.