Solar eclipse plunges Chile into darkness
Send a link to a friend
[July 03, 2019]
SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Hundreds of
thousands of tourists scattered across the north Chilean desert on
Tuesday to experience a rare, and irresistible combination for astronomy
buffs: a total eclipse of the sun viewed from beneath the world's
clearest skies.
A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the Earth and the
sun, plunging the planet into darkness. It happens only rarely in any
given spot across the globe.
The best views this time were from Chile's sprawling Atacama desert
north of the coastal city of La Serena, where a lack of humidity and
city lights combine to create the world's clearest skies.
The region had not seen an eclipse since 1592, according to the Chilean
Astronomy Society. The next one is expected in 2165.
Eclipse-watchers in Chile were not disappointed on Tuesday. The 95-mile
(150-kilometer) band of total darkness moved eastward across the open
Pacific Ocean late in the afternoon, making landfall in Chile at 4:38
p.m. EDT (2038 GMT).
Clear skies dominated from the South American country's northern border
with Peru south to the capital of Santiago, where office workers poured
from buildings to catch a glimpse of the phenomenon.
[to top of second column]
|
A solar eclipse is observed at Coquimbo, Chile, July 2, 2019.
REUTERS/Rodrigo Garrido
Earlier in the day, a run on special "eclipse-viewing" glasses
downtown had led to a shortage in many stores, with street vendors
charging as much as $10 for a pair of the disposable,
cardboard-framed lenses.
"This is something rare that we may never see again," said Marcos
Sanchez, a 53-year-old pensioner from Santiago who had purchased 16
of the lenses from an informal vendor downtown for himself and his
family.
(Reporting by Dave Sherwood and Fabian Cambero; Editing by Sandra
Maler)
[© 2019 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2019 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |