Day will quickly turn to night on April 8 as a total solar eclipse passes through Canada, the United States and Mexico.

Canada Post has issued a commemorative stamp, the first time that the corporation has done so in recognition of a solar eclipse.

The main image on the stamp, created through a combination of photography and illustration, shows the sun at the moment of totality during a total solar eclipse.

Set against the backdrop of a darkened sky, the stamp image also features a metallic silver line depicting the path of the eclipse from its entrance point in southwestern Ontario to its exit point in eastern Newfoundland and Labrador.

Across the bottom of the stamp is a photomontage of land formations along the path of the totality including the rocky shores of Newfoundland’s east coast.

A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun in such a way that it blocks the face of the sun from view. Temperatures drop suddenly and most animals and birds react as if it were night. Outside the path of totality, a partial eclipse will be seen.

The phenomenon won’t be seen in Canada again until 2044.