Hundreds of sky watchers gather to view partial eclipse in Kamloops

Aug 21, 2017 | 12:26 PM

KAMLOOPS — The moon and sun provided a rare and spectacular show Monday morning, one that could be viewed from Kamloops. 

Hundreds of Kamloops residents gathered at the TRU Observatory to experience the partial solar eclipse. 

Telescopes and protective glasses were provided and shared among those viewing the celestial event. 

The moon’s journey in front of the sun began shortly after 9 am, and reached its maximum coverage around 10:25 a.m.

Colin Taylor, a physics lecturer at TRU, said if people missed this eclipse, their next chance to see one would be many years away. 

“The next one to come to B.C. is going to be in 2044, so some people will probably still be around to see that, if they go up to northern B.C. or Alberta you’ll be able to see that then,” Taylor said. “There’s another eclipse down in Mexico, the U.S., and in the Maritime provinces in 2024 I believe, so you have to travel to see these things. To have one like this, nearby, that is a rare event.”