Parts of southern Quebec have front-row seat for total solar eclipse

People gathered across southern Quebec Monday to get a rare view of a total solar eclipse. Parts of the province will have a front-row seat for the phenomenon, which occurs when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun, blocking out sunlight for a brief period.

People who descended on southern Quebec from afar for a view of Monday's total solar eclipse were rewarded with perfect viewing conditions for what many described as an emotional experience.

One of the province's most prized viewing points was Mont-Mégantic provincial park in Quebec's Eastern Townships, a dark-sky preserve that has been preparing for more than a year for Monday's cosmic spectacle. It had made 2,500 tickets available for visitors, and they were quickly snapped up.

Just before totality hit the park at around 3:30 p.m., organizers asked people to turn off their phones and look to the sky.

“I cried. I was shaking, it’s exceptional," said Mira Cadotte Lachance, a teacher, as she pointed to Venus and Jupiter, which shone in the sky. "I consider myself privileged to experience this moment."

Benoît Reeves, a scientific communicator and son of late Canadian astrophysicist Hubert Reeves, travelled from Paris to Quebec just to see the eclipse.

He organizes astronomy trips in France around phenomena such as comets and eclipses. He couldn't pass up a chance to see a total eclipse in person again, especially with the centre of the path of totality passing almost right over Mont-Mégantic.