A break in the clouds in Winnipeg allowed people to see the rare solar eclipse passing over North America Monday.
Environment and Climate Change Canada said Monday the low pressure system over the Red River Valley would make it difficult for many in southern Manitoba to view the eclipse.
Around 1 p.m., just after the maximum point of the eclipse, clouds began to clear in the city.
In Winnipeg, 70 per cent of the sun was covered.
At the Manitoba Museum, people rushed outside to see it and put on special disposable glasses designed to protect the eyes from the sun's glare.
A spokesperson from the museum said 8,000 pairs of the special glasses had been purchased, and they had sold out.
The museum expected 3,000 visitors to take in the eclipse, which ran from 11:40 a.m to 2:15 p.m.
The museum also set up a NASA live feed in its auditorium and planetarium, which showed the sun at different points along the path of totality. The path of totality is the section where the sun is fully covered.
Visitors were also invited to make pinhole cameras—one of the oldest and safest ways to view solar eclipses—and treated to educational lessons from staff at the museum.
The next full solar eclipse takes place in North America in 2024, when the sun's path will cross over Mexico, the central United States and southeastern Canada, the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada told CTV News.
