Don't let the weather get you down, there will be a total eclipse over B.C. in 2099

A total eclipse was never in the cards for Metro Vancouver on Monday, but it was so overcast that even catching a glimpse of the moon taking a so-called "bite" out of the sun was impossible.

A weather system brought in thick clouds and heavy rain, and refused to budge, let the sun shine through.

People who were looking forward to the event and bought protective glasses probably wish they had saved their money.

In fact, it was so cloudy most people didn't know which direction to look to find the sun.

"At first I was really excited," a boy told CTV News about the eclipse. "But then when I saw the weather, I'm like, seriously?"

On a day that made you feel like you wanted to stay inside and watch television, that's what people did.

A large crowd piled into the H.R. McMillan Space Centre in Vancouver, and watched NASA's live feed.

"Even with the rain clouds, people still want to hang-out with other people to experience this very magical event," said program co-ordinator Michael Unger.

Researchers at UBC's department of physics and astronomy also wanted to capture some of that magic.

"We were hoping to have a big set up with a couple of solar telescopes, and lots of eclipse glasses to hand around hand around," said Dr. Ingrid Stairs.

But telescopes do not do well in the rain, and wouldn't have been able to observe the sun or the moon anyway.

Stairs said the next total eclipse over British Columbia will make its way across the province in September 2099.