Editor's note: Candace and Preston Rohrick are recalling the solar glasses they were giving away for free. Although the glasses say they are ISO approved and manufactured by a NASA-verifiied company, the Rohricks cannot guarantee that they are not part of a counterfeit batch of glasses. Amazon.com has also recalled many of the glasses it had on sale.
The last time a total solar eclipse passed above Candace and Preston Rohrick, the thing they remember the most is being denied the opportunity to watch it.
“My mom allowed us to peek outside the curtains for a second,” Candace says. “It’s not the eclipse that stands out in my mind; it’s being able to peek out for only a second.”
“Me, I felt robbed,” her husband adds. “I remember everything about it but what I remember the most is the teacher never letting us go outside.”
When the solar eclipse darkens the skies above a huge swath of the United States and Canada on Aug. 21, the Vancouver couple is vowing not to miss the opportunity to experience it in full.
As the moon orbits directly in front of the sun, almost completely blocking out its light and turning day into night, they will have front-row seats.
In a perfect world, the Rohricks would have travelled to Charleston, S.C. to watch the eclipse. Architecturally it’s one of their favourite cities and it’s right along the 113-kilometre-wide arc of what’s being called the Great American Total Solar Eclipse.
However, humidity is “unbearable” at that time of year, and there’s a 60 per cent chance of haze. Given the vast number of people angling for the best viewing opportunity along the eastern seaboard, they also risked having the eclipse pass while they were stuck in heavy highway traffic.
Then they started phoning hotels from Lincoln, Neb. to Jackson Hole, Wyo., also on the eclipse’s path.
However, a lot of other people had the same idea, some of them booking their accommodation years in advance. The Rohricks were quoted Aug. 20 hotel room rates ranging between $2,000 and $5,000.
And while here in Vancouver we’ll be able to see the eclipse in 86 per cent of its totality — the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre is hosting a viewing party — the Rohricks don’t want to be robbed of a single percentage point of the experience.
They and their 24-year-old son Nathaniel are loading up their SUV and heading south to Salem, Ore., an hour south of Portland. They’ll sacrifice comfort and sleep in their SUV for the chance to be right in “the bull’s-eye.”
What will make the day even more special is it’s Candace’s birthday; they will continue the celebration that night in Portland, where the room rates dropped dramatically compared to the night before.
But their mothers needn’t worry. It is true that no one should look directly at an eclipse. The sun’s rays will indeed damage your retinas. Only those who are directly in the eclipse’s path — and that excludes Vancouver — can look at it with the naked eye, and only for the couple of minutes when the moon totally blocks the sun.
The Rohricks have bought ISO-approved solar eclipse glasses, which, while flimsy, are thousands of times darker than regular sunglasses. Put them on and you’ll see nothing but darkness — except when you look at the sun.
They bought 1,200 pairs to give away, partly to celebrate her birthday and partly to celebrate her new job at a real estate firm.
“It’s more neat than anything else,” Preston says of why they’re so caught up in eclipse fever. “I’ve always felt I missed something. The last one was in 1979 and, more than that, it was such a coincidence to be on Candace’s birthday.”
“It really is spectacular that the stars align,” adds Nathaniel, who grew up being fascinated by the heavens when the family went on fishing and camping trips near Hope. “It’s a very interesting phenomenon and everyone has a natural curiosity for the unknown and stars at night.”
Closer to home, the HR MacMillan Space Centre (1100 Chestnut St.) hosts a viewing celebration the morning of Aug. 21.
From 8:45 a.m. until noon it will have a selection of solar telescopes, live streams, sun projections and solar eclipse glasses for safe viewing.
Admission, including solar glasses, is by donation. Regular rates apply to shows and activities in the main building.
Start of eclipse: 9:10 a.m.
Maximum: 10:21 a.m.
End of eclipse: 11:37 a.m.
