John Nicotera, 33, and Erica Pendrak, 26, met on Instagram and have been living together for 18 months. John considered proposing from Christmas 2019, but isolation from the coronavirus interrupted his plan and he decided to let the relationship last a little longer.
It was a good decision because he finally proposed at the perfect time when the stars literally lined up in his favor. John asked a question when the rare comet Neowise occasionally appeared in the northern hemisphere between July 15 and 23. He and Erica traveled to Old Forge, New York to observe the celestial phenomenon, and he immediately asked a question.
Discussing the decision to hold off on proposing, John told Insider: “Being stuck at home every hour can take a toll on a person, and we had not a single issue. I feel like the honeymoon phase of the relationship might’ve faded away and that was a big test. We both figured out how to deal with each other’s problems, you know?”
John is a self-acclaimed ‘space junkie’ and he’d initially planned to propose as at Crater Lake in Oregon. However, while traveling there wasn’t possible, Comet Neowise emerged as a superior option. “This could be our engagement. This is not going to happen in our lifetime or five generations’ lifetimes,” he told CNN.
He shared his wonderful idea with his photographer fiend Tim Leach who agreed to come down with them and capture the special moment. As they watched the skies, “I just remember the amount of happiness I had going through me,” John said. “All the nerves were gone at that point. I was just like, I’m massively in love with this girl. I’m going to do it.”
Can I get a retweet for what I pulled off last night? We even saw the ISS pass by! @SpaceX @NASA @elonmusk @astro_g_dogg @Space_Station #NeowiseComet pic.twitter.com/b9HhpOvqto
— John Nicotera (@YohnnyNic) July 19, 2020
Erica burst into tears of joy before saying yes. However, they were unable to immediately hug each other due to the camera’s slow shutter speed, which means they had to remain almost completely still in order to take a picture. They hugged and arranged another to make sure it was captured perfectly.
This was a complete surprise to Erica, who said:
How one man had a cosmic intervention as he got down on one knee. The story behind this out of this world proposal! @YohnnyNic pic.twitter.com/lzmon1ioLP
— America’s Morning Headquarters (@AMHQ) July 22, 2020
“I’m just really happy Tim was able to be there and capture that moment for us. He froze the greatest moment of my life so far. It’s not just a memory. I can relive it as long as that photo lasts, and we are always going to have that.”
John shared the amazing images on Twitter and of course, they immediately went viral. People love to see love! Astronaut Garrett Reisman – a favorite of John’s – even retweeted the photos, writing: “Well done. Congratulations!”
While it was an added bonus at the top of the photos, Erica is happy that her story is “spreading across the country and the world … it’s an amazing thing to see and get good news.” The couple hopes to get married next summer.
Well done! Congratulations. https://t.co/X3FhphmvvC
— Garrett Reisman (@astro_g_dogg) July 20, 2020
