Dusk did not fall in the middle of the morning but there were other signs that this was not a usual Monday.
As the solar eclipse passed over Vancouver for an hour and half on Aug. 21, there was enough sunlight poking through to deny thousands of spectators the full eclipse experience.
However, when the moon’s path blocked out 86 per cent of the sun, it had the same effect as turning down the brightness on your smart phone’s screen. It wasn’t dusk as much as the light was filtered through a dark glass. More noticeable was the brief drop in temperature.
The crowd at the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre cheered when the eclipse hit its peak at 10:21 a.m.
The solar eclipse transformed the rather simple experience of looking up into the sky into a communal happening. The space centre estimates 10,000 joined together in Vanier Park. By drawing together people of all ages together at one place and time, the picnic-like atmosphere made the eclipse all the more memorable because everyone was watching it together.
“I am wicked happy that I had the chance to share this with everyone,” said space centre astronomer Derek Kief who provided a non-stop narrative and answered the same questions over and over with never-waning enthusiasm (even though his voice did get a bit hoarse).
Even though most Vancouverites spend a lot of time looking down at their various screens, for once everyone was in the moment. Parents brought toddlers and homemade viewing devices made out of diaper and cereal boxes, and people gladly shared their solar glasses with one another and made impromptu projectors simply by putting a hole in a piece of paper.
“Trying to get people to look up and revel — that’s my job,” Kief said. He hopes that watching what happens when the sun, new moon and earth align sparks a lifelong fascination with the universe around us.
Attendance certainly exceeded the space centre’s expectations and created challenges when it came to accommodating such a crowd.
“We were overjoyed to see everyone connecting as a community to share eclipse glasses, ask questions of our staff, and to discuss their interest in astronomy,” said the centre’s director of community engagement, Lyndsey Barton, in an email. Throughout the event there were “lots of really great examples of the kindness of Vancouverites.”
“My favourite part was when it first started,” said 13-year-old Dawson Kelly of Burnaby. “It was pretty awesome. It was like it was starting to eat the sun — just get a taste of it.”
Sharing the blanket on the space centre’s lawn was 10-year-old Vanessa Woo. “I thought it was pretty cool,” Vanessa said. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
Dawson’s mother, Melissa Kelly, was in Grade 4 when she saw her first solar eclipse. “Next one in 2050 I’ll be in a rocking chair,” she said.
Even though they could have watched the eclipse closer to home, it was important to her that they joined the space centre’s activities.
“It’s all about community — everyone coming together,” she said. “That’s the coolest thing.”
There were also free viewing opportunities at Science World, Robson Square and UBC.
