Gabija Arlauskienė, sales manager of the online store “Hobi.lt,” told 15min that the store sold a single type of special glasses designed for observing the solar eclipse.
“But, you know, we don’t have a single unit left,” informed the representative of “Hobi.lt.”
According to her, residents of Lithuania rushed to be interested in these glasses at the last minute.
“When we no longer have them, then everyone needs them – today or yesterday is the main number of inquiries. Yesterday we still had a few units, but now we have none left,” she said.
Looking around other websites, it is clear that the selection of such glasses in Lithuania is very modest – prices for plastic disposable glasses range from 5 to 22 euros, but you would have to wait a couple of weeks for delivery.
7-euro glasses – for 70 euros
Meanwhile, an offer appeared on the classifieds portal Skelbiu.lt to buy disposable glasses for 70 euros. The price of the same glasses on foreign websites is about 7 dollars.
When called at the contacts listed in the ad, a young man confirmed to 15min that he sells one unit for 70 euros. He said that such glasses are already sold out in Lithuania – he bought a couple of units himself this weekend.
“I looked everywhere over the weekend, they were nowhere to be found. I went far and bought them. As far as I saw, they are sold out everywhere,” said the young man who did not want to mention his name.
After acquiring the glasses, he decided to try his luck and posted an ad that he was selling the glasses with a significant markup.
“My friends and I are thinking of watching ourselves. We bought a few glasses and think that since there are no others anywhere, if someone buys one, we will share it, and it will be 50 euros,” revealed the ad author, admitting that no one has bought the glasses yet.
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Unique spectacle
On Wednesday, August 12, residents of Lithuania will be able to observe a partial solar eclipse. This time the phenomenon will be very vivid, and since the eclipse will occur in the evening, under favorable weather conditions, it will be possible to see an unusual sight – a partially setting eclipsed Sun.
Dr. Kastytis Zubovas, an astrophysicist and science popularizer from the Fundamental Research Department of the Center for Physical and Technological Sciences (FTMC), said that partial solar eclipses in Lithuania are not very rare – they can be seen about once every ten years, sometimes more often. However, this eclipse will stand out due to its scale.
“This one will be quite large – about 80% of the Sun’s disk will be covered. It will also be visible in the evening, so we will be able to observe the covered Sun setting into the sea,” the astrophysicist told 15min.
According to K. Zubovas, the eclipse in Lithuania will begin shortly after 8 p.m., reaching its maximum just before 9 p.m. The eclipse will continue after the Sun sets, so its end will no longer be observable in Lithuania. The exact time of the eclipse will vary depending on the location – in the west of the country, the phases of the eclipse will begin and occur slightly later than in the east.
The covered part of the Sun will also differ. In Vilnius, at maximum, the Moon will cover about 75% of the Sun’s disk, while in Klaipėda – about 81%.
“In Klaipėda, a bit more will be covered than in Vilnius. Also, conditions for observation are better on the coast because nothing blocks the horizon,” explained the astrophysicist.
READ MORE: Already on Wednesday in Lithuania – an impressive solar eclipse: where is the best place to watch it?
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