Packing cardboard pinhole projectors, sun-blocking glasses and, above all else, high expectations for a rare celestial event, Kelowna residents headed to the Curling Club parking lot in droves on Monday.
The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada held a solar eclipse viewing party at the site and were overwhelmed by the amount of community enthusiasm.
The event wasn香蕉视频直播檛 scheduled to begin until 9 a.m., but people started lining up at 8 a.m. and within 45 minutes the supply of 400 eclipse viewing glasses had been snapped up. Over the next two hours, the crowd ballooned to nearly 1,000 men, women and children excited to look through the solar-ready telescopes that had been set up by the society.
香蕉视频直播淧eople have been very impressed to see that moon go right across the sun,香蕉视频直播� said Jim Tisdale of the Royal Astronomical Society, as he helped eclipse-curious kids and adults use his telescope.
香蕉视频直播淲e heard lots of 香蕉视频直播楢wesome. Wow. Never seen anything like this before.香蕉视频直播櫹憬妒悠抵辈
For astronomy buffs, he said, it香蕉视频直播檚 music to their ears.
香蕉视频直播淲e spend a lot of time ourselves with our own telescopes, but when we hear from other people that they really enjoy it, it香蕉视频直播檚 great,香蕉视频直播� said Tisdale. 香蕉视频直播淔or us this is what astronomy is all about 香蕉视频直播� the outreach.香蕉视频直播�
There were definitely a lot of people on site who had never previously experienced an eclipse. Many of them weren香蕉视频直播檛 alive in 1979, which is the last time B.C. residents could see such a significant solar eclipse.
Jacob Bocskei, 10, said that he thought it was pretty cool.
Seeing a bite out of the sun looked a lot like something he香蕉视频直播檇 seen in games he likes to play.
Maxine Wilson took all six of her grandchildren and their parents to the stargazing event.
香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 a once in a lifetime event,香蕉视频直播� she said. 香蕉视频直播淚 wanted my family to see it.香蕉视频直播�
Some were disappointed when they realized that the sky wasn香蕉视频直播檛 going to be completely darkened, despite 83 per cent coverage from the moon.
That was until they got their hands on a pair of eclipse viewing glasses, then the awe kicked in.
UPDATE: 10:12 a.m.
Close to 1,000 people are gathered at the Kelowna Curling Club to try and get a glimpse of a rare astronomical event, an eclipse of the sun.
Jim Tisdale of the Royal Astronomical Society said they brought in some 400 pairs of special glasses needed to watch the eclipse without damaging your eyes and all of them were snapped up within 45 minutes this morning.
People began lining up at the curling club by 8 a.m. this morning.
The Capital News has a reporter and video crew on the scene. Watch our web site and Facebook page for updates, interviews and video.
Our reporter spoke with Andrew Bennett of the Royal Astronomical Society as well:
ORIGINAL:
The rare astronomical event that so many have been waiting for will get underway in just a few hours.
The sky will darken today as the moon moves between the sun and the earth for an eclipse of the sun, the likes of which hasn香蕉视频直播檛 been seen in this part of the world since 1979.
If you want to observe it, however, you should have the right equipment on hand because solar eclipses are as dangerous as they are engaging.
香蕉视频直播淲e want people to have a moment of pleasure, not a lifetime of regret,香蕉视频直播� said Ken Tapping, an astronomer with the National Research Council of Canada香蕉视频直播檚 Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory in the Okanagan.
香蕉视频直播淭he trouble is that eclipses make the sun interesting. If you香蕉视频直播檙e walking around, your eyeballs are moving all the time. But you can overcome this common sense when the sun becomes interesting, so people will stare at the sun.香蕉视频直播�
A Kelowna optometrist is concerned that he香蕉视频直播檚 going to see the negative side effects of just that phenomenon.
Dr. Paul Clark says if solar filter eyewear is not used 香蕉视频直播渁bsolutely perfectly香蕉视频直播� or if there is a manufacturing defect in solar filter glasses, it could result in permanent vision loss.
香蕉视频直播淛ust like sunburn to the skin, the effects are not felt or noticed immediately,香蕉视频直播� said Clark.
香蕉视频直播淚 have a great fear that I will have patients in my office on Tuesday, Aug. 22, who woke up with hazy, blurry vision that I cannot fix.
香蕉视频直播淭here is absolutely no safe way to watch the eclipse other than on television.香蕉视频直播�
The eclipse on Aug. 21 is a total eclipse along a band about 100 kilometres wide that crosses the entire United States from the southeast to Oregon in the northwest, said Tapping.
Around 9:13 a.m., observers using the right equipment will see a little notch on the sun as the moon moves in front of it. By 10:25 a.m., close to 90 per cent of the sun will be covered by the moon. It will all be over at 11:42 a.m.
It香蕉视频直播檚 as close to a total eclipse, where the entire sun is covered, that Canadians have seen since 1979. Only people in Oregon will see 100 per cent coverage of the sun.
In Kelowna the Okanagan Centre of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada is hosting a free public viewing event from 9 a.m. until noon at the Kelowna Curling Club. Approved solar eclipse glasses will be available for use, along with special solar eclipse telescopes.
