‘It’s a thrill:’ Regina sky watchers marvel at eclipse

Staring straight up at a mainly sunny sky through specialized eyewear that resembled 3D glasses, 14-year-old Andrew Sweeney was in awe of what he was watching.

The boy was one of hundreds of people, both young and old, who turned up at the Saskatchewan Science Centre to view the partial solar eclipse.

“It’s really cool. It’s like a once in a lifetime opportunity,” said Sweeney.

Standing beside him was his aunt Naomi Lindstein. She described her view through the lens.

“It’s like the whole cookie and someone just took a little bite out of it, and the bite’s getting larger and larger, but it’s a perfect bite. You don’t even see the teeth marks,” she said. “It was awesome. To look through these glasses and when you looked at the sun you saw the eclipse getting larger and larger all the time and it was just truly amazing to see.”

While the rare celestial event was the first for Sweeney, it is likely to be a last for Lindstein.

“It’s a thrill for me because I’m 56, I will probably never see this again and it’s truly awesome to share it with my family,” she said.

People seem to be impressed. One person told me “it’s like someone took a bite out of the cookie”. #SolarEclipse2017 pic.twitter.com/zd5gyaq4UG

— Kevin Martel (@KevinMartel) August 21, 2017

Dozens of people lined up, snaking around the building, all waiting to get inside to watch a special space themed show. They were also patiently waiting to get their hands on a pair of eclipse glasses, which were in limited supply.

Some weren’t able to find approved glasses so they made their own sightseeing contraptions out of things like cereal boxes and poster tubes. Others lined up to see out of one of the many telescopes the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada had set up.

Telescopes are out…eyes on the sky. #Eclipse2017 pic.twitter.com/e24Dp2ZvS1

— Kevin Martel (@KevinMartel) August 21, 2017

The society’s Len McDonald said after gazing skyward, many observers responded with an “awwwe” sound, he described with his mouth drooped open.

“I’m glad to see the interest. It’s fantastic,” McDonald said.

He added the society’s mission is to promote astronomy through public events and Monday’s event helped to achieve that.