Total solar eclipse is almost here. Here are 10 things to know

Canadians are gearing up for Monday’s total solar eclipse that could be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for many.

Preparations are underway in cities and towns that fall in the path of totality as visitors across the country plan to catch a glimpse of the rare celestial event.

Several schools in Ontario and Quebec are closed on April 8, while some people are taking a day off from work.

Meanwhile, the Niagara Region, which is expecting thousands of visitors, has declared a state of emergency “out of an abundance of caution.”

Here are some of the most popular questions people have been asking on Google about the solar eclipse.

A solar eclipse occurs when the moon comes between the Earth and the sun, casting a shadow on Earth, according to the Canadian Space Agency.

A total solar eclipse is when the moon perfectly aligns with the Earth and sun, completely blocking the sunlight and causing darkness for some time.

In a partial solar eclipse, the moon blocks only part of the sun as they’re not perfectly aligned.

But any eclipse will start and end as a partial eclipse when the sun is not hidden in totality.

Toronto-based planetary scientist Sara Mazrouei said solar eclipses happen once every six months or so.

According to NASA, between two to five solar eclipses of some kind – partial, annular or total – are seen from Earth in a year.

Meanwhile, a total solar eclipse is visible once roughly every 18 months or once every one to two years from somewhere on Earth.

For a given location this can be a very rare occurrence coming after a gap of centuries.

The last time the path of a total solar eclipse crossed Canada was in 1979.

On April 8, the solar eclipse’s path of totality will pass through parts of Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince