The eclipse, which was captured on time-lapse video and shared on Facebook by NASA, caused the morning sky over Indonesia and other parts of southeast Asia to briefly go dark Wednesday morning as the moon passed between the sun and the earth. Because you probably missed it, here’s a quick photo roundup so you can start the day in awe. A partial phase of the eclipse was also visible from western and northern Australia, as well as American Samoa, Hawaii, Alaska and other areas.
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An Indian fisherman prays to a partial solar eclipse seen in the sky over Bay of Bengal in Konark, 60 kilometers from eastern Indian city Bhubaneswar, Wednesday, March 9, 2016.
About a dozen astronomers and “eclipse chasers” were among the 163 passengers onboard Flight 870 from Anchorage to Honolulu, according to Alaskan Airlines’ blog. “A total solar eclipse gives us the opportunity to see very close to the solar limb”. “A partial eclipse will also be visible along the path of totality for over an hour before and after the total eclipse”.
Sixty-five year old Sunaryo brought his grandchildren to see their first eclipse.
This photo combo shows the moon passing in front of the sun during a total solar eclipse in the city of Ternate, in Indonesia’s Maluku Islands, on March 9, 2016.
It happens when the moon passes directly between the sun and the Earth.
As well as being seen in Sumatra, the eclipse travelled across Sulawesi, Borneo and the Malukus.
Tens of thousands of foreign and Indonesian tourists have flocked to the best viewing spots, and special events were organised, from a festival to fun runs and dragon boat races.
“Unfortunately we got nothing because we had rain showers and solid cloud”, said optometrist Ralph Chou who was hoping to see his 19th total solar eclipse.
For the viewer, the length of time the sun was totally eclipsed depended on their location along the path. On land the durations were mostly between 1 and 3 minutes.
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Wright reported from Jakarta.
