Hundreds of people gathered at the University of Waterloo today, in anticipation of the solar eclipse.

About three quarters of the sun were blocked in the region, as the moon passed between the sun and the earth.

Residents came prepared with protective glasses, many of which were creative DIY projects – from cardboard boxes to cheese graters and everything in between.

“I had to seal up some holes with some handy garbage,” said Isaac Deroche.

Eleven-year-old Nolen Girt had cardboard glasses and was very excited about the eclipse when his dad told him.

“It was awesome,” said Girt. “It looks like something is eating the sun.”

Victor Arora, the observatory coordinator at the University of Waterloo says it was even better than he thought it would be.

“It’s something that all humans need to be in touch with, it really brings us closer to the universe in a lot of ways,” said Arora.

Arora still remembers watching a solar eclipse for the first time in 1993 and having a lot of questions afterwards. Now he’s answering the questions of the next generation.

Waterloo Region will experience a 99 per cent solar eclipse in 2024.

Arora says the sky will be appreciably darker than it was today.

With reporting by Krista Simpson