Monday's eclipse will last for around two hours and thirty minutes.

The City of Estevan is well known as the sunshine capital, but for a couple hours on Monday, the sky will slowly get darker due to a solar eclipse.

"We have this unique opportunity Monday and from Estevan its going to be a really interesting event," explained Denis Laurin, who is the Senior Program Scientist for the Canadian Space Agency in Saint-Hubert, Quebec. "If you have a nice sunny day, you'll actually see the sky darken and it will be noticeable. In Estevan you'll get to see about close to 80% of the sun covered by the moon."

The forecast for Monday is calling for sunshine which will wet the appetite of those interested in viewing the eclipse. But the proper eye protection is needed in order to view the eclipse. Click here to read about safety.

The solar eclipse will start Monday, shortly after 10:30 a.m.

Those looking to watch the eclipse need to take serious precautions to make sure you have the proper eclipse glasses. The certification number is ISO 12312-2 and they should have some kind of astronomical society certification on them. Those thinking of using welding goggles or helmets will need to have a shade factor of 12 or 13. Looking directly into the sun with bare eyes can cause serious eye damage.

"If you're looking into the sun with the proper protection, it will be very interesting to see the moon cross over the face of the sun. Its definitely something worth while to witness."

Although an eclipse is a rare sight to see in this neck of the woods, it happens more often then you think.

"It occurs more frequently than you think of because they usually happen in places with little population. Just by the geometry of the orbit of the moon and the earth around the sun, you can get an eclipse potentially every six months. Its not always a total eclipse and its not usually over a very populated area. The combination of getting something over where you are is pretty rare."

Laurin notes that the last total eclipse took place over Australia in 2012, while the next big one will take place in April of 2024, right over the Toronto-Montreal area.