iN PHOTOS: Hundreds in Kelowna gather to view solar eclipse

KELOWNA – Hundreds of people flocked to the Kelowna Curling Club this morning to witness the first solar eclipse visible in the Okanagan in nearly 40 years.

The partial solar eclipse, which lasted roughly three hours Monday morning, Aug. 21, was at its height at around 10:25 a.m.

Kelowna resident Christine Barnard was there with her three children.

“It’s probably a twice in a lifetime experience for them, we had to come check it out – especially during the summertime when they’re home from school anyway,” Barnard says. “It’s also nice to come down and be a part of the group and see how everyone is coming together to see such an event like this.”

Since looking directly at the sun during the eclipse can cause permanent eye damage, in order to view the spectacle, special glasses are required, or in many cases, people made their own viewing boxes.

Although Barnard and her children got a glimpse of the eclipse through the telescope set up by the Okanagan Centre of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, they have also made their own viewing boxes.

“Each one took about seven minutes, it’s super easy to do,” she says. “We just put lots of duct tape to make sure no light came through, making it as dark as possible on the inside.”

The next solar eclipse that will be viewable in Canada will be in 2024.

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