Total eclipse of the hearts

Last 8 April’s total solar eclipse that was visible in parts of the eastern and southern United States was memorable for some couples who timed their engagements on that date.

While there have been marriage proposals done with the moon’s shadow obscuring the sun for a backdrop, the recent eclipse saw two romantic guys popping the question in different ways while the space phenomenon was occurring.

Space.com photographer Josh Dinner did it on a stadium terrace in Bloomington, Indiana with girlfriend Dana Zuckerman. He convinced her to join him in the eclipse watch while he covered the event for his digital publication.

When it was time to shoot the spectacle, Dinner asked Zuckerman to hold one of his camera lenses just seconds before totality.

On one knee, he twisted the focus ring of the lens to open a small metal aperture (where the lens glass would normally be) and a ring inside rose out, according to Space.com.

A very small LED just underneath the ring turned on and illuminated it, making it sparkle as it opened and creating a small amount of light for the camera below to catch the diamond ring and make a much larger effect of it on the eclipse in the sky, Space.com reported. It was no mean feat taking a good shot of the eclipse while at the same time proposing marriage to his girlfriend with an image of the ring in the darkened sky.

Not to be outdone, Neil Albstein of New York City popped the question at 30,000 feet above the ground.

From Austin, Texas, Albstein booked a flight to Detroit with soul-mate Michele Rosenblatt.

Delta Flight 1218 was timed to give passengers the best opportunity to view the solar eclipse at its peak, Fox Weather reports.

The couple and other passengers watched the eclipse through the plane windows from their seats. Albstein waited until totality finished before proposing, prompting the other passengers to cheer.

“I can’t believe it,” Rosenblatt gleamed, according to Fox Weather. “Everything was amazing about it.”