Thousands of British Columbians cast their eyes to the sky Monday morning to catch a glimpse of an historic solar eclipse not experienced in North America in decades.

Although B.C. was not in the so-called "Path of Totality," the West Coast had the best view in Canada, with the eerie partial eclipse dimming the skies over the city as the moon passed between the earth and sun.

The best viewing spot across Canada is considered to be Victoria, where as much as 90 per cent of the sun was blocked.

In Metro Vancouver, about 86 or 87 per cent of the sun was eclipsed, leaving only a sliver exposed.

Locally, the eclipse began at 9:10 a.m., peaked at 10:21 a.m., and ended at 11:37 a.m.

Viewing parties were held across the region to help solar watchers catch a safe glimpse.

An estimated 5,000 stargazers descended on Science World, where free eclipse glasses were handed out and visitors could view the event through a solar telescope.

Astronomer Kat Kelly said the interest was not surprising given how "incredibly rare" the event is.

"This kind and how much of a partial eclipse we saw, the last that was visible in [all of] North America was about 99 years ago," she said.

At the nearby H.R. MacMillan Space Centre, sun watchers broke out into a cheer when the eclipse reached its peak.

The centre ran out of eclipse glasses early in the morning and encouraged people to share their pairs.

Space Centre astronomer Derek Kief was blown away by the thousands of people who attended to see eclipse projections, view through a filtered telescope and learn more about the rare celestial occurrence.

“A lot of people are focused down on their devices and down on the earth and there's a lot of really cool stuff happening out in space and trying to get people to look up and actually revel in the wonder that exists in space -- that's my job."

Canadians who missed out on today's eclipse need not despair: Another path of totality is expected to occur on April 8, 2024.

However, the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada said the path of totality will cross parts of Central Canada, the Maritimes and Newfoundland – skipping B.C.

 

Here are estimates of when the eclipse will occur across Canada. (From Royal Astronomical Society of Canada) #SolarEclipse2017 pic.twitter.com/df7lO1r5GW