A total solar eclipse swept across the vast Indonesian archipelago on Wednesday, marked by ecstatic sky gazers cheering the spectacle, devout Muslims kneeling in prayer and tribespeople performing rituals.
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A solar eclipse happens when the moon casts a shadow on the earth as it passes between the earth and sun.
Indonesia’s first solar eclipse since 1983 is seen from Ternate island, Indonesia, March 9, 2016.
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Those in Indonesia had the best vantage point.
(AP Photo/Firdia Lisnwati). Children wear goggles to watch a solar eclipse in the sky during Nyepi, the annual “Day of Silence” during which Balinese Hindus welcome the New Year in Bali, Indonesia, Wednesday, March 9, 2016.
The timelapse shows the view of the eclipse from one of Indonesia’s eastern islands.
As well as being seen in Sumatra, the eclipse will sweep across Sulawesi and Borneo and the Malukus before heading out over the ocean.
NASA said prior to the eclipse that scientists would be using the phenomenon to study the sun’s atmosphere.
The moon began to move between the Earth and sun at 6:19 am (2319 GMT Tuesday), and about an hour later direct sunlight was entirely blocked out in western parts of the country, authorities said. “I want them to learn about the science behind it but also to see the beauty of God’s creation”, he said.
“There were so many myths around it then but now it’s different”. “That is the most handsome thing I’ve ever seen”.
He and his family are few of the lucky ones. And most of North America will be able to catch a partial version of this “Great American Eclipse”. It went from baking hot to cool.
“The sun totally disappeared”.
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The next total solar eclipse is set for August 2017, and will be seen across a narrow corridor of the U.S.
