Stunning total solar eclipse
Thousands of eclipse-chasers were treated to the rare astronomical phenomenon of a total solar eclipse over Indonesia, March 9, 2016. People gazed at the sky in wonder and cheered while others knelt in prayer as a total eclipse of the sun unfolded, briefly plunging cities into darkness and startling wildlife.
This photo combo shows the moon passing in front of the sun (top L to bottom R) during a total solar eclipse in the city of Ternate, in Indonesia's Maluku Islands, on March 9. The entire eclipse, which began with the first patch of darkness appearing on the edge of the sun, lasted about three hours.
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An aeroplane flies past the sun as it goes into a partial solar eclipse in Singapore, March 9, 2016.
While the rare astronomical phenomenon was witnessed along a narrow path, that stretched across 12 Indonesian provinces encompassing three time zones and about 40 million people, a partial eclipse was visible in other parts of the Indonesian archipelago, a swath of Asia and in northern Australia.
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An Indonesian muslim woman watches the total solar eclipse in Palembang city on March 9, 2016 in Palembang, South Sumatra province, Indonesia.
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A partial solar eclipse is seen in Hyderabad, India, March 9, 2016.
Indian people in the northeast and eastern coastal strip of the sub-continent viewed a partial solar eclipse as a total eclipse of the sun unfolded over Indonesia.
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A partial solar eclipse is seen behind the 9th century Prambanan Temple in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, March 9, 2016.
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A girl watches the total solar eclipse in Palembang city on March 9, 2016 in Palembang, South Sumatra province, Indonesia.
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A partial solar eclipse is seen from Dhaka, Bangladesh, March 9, 2016.
Bangladeshi and Indian people in the northeast and eastern coastal strip of the sub-continent were able to view a partial solar eclipse.
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A general view shows a partial solar eclipse behind a star and crescent symbol atop a mosque in Kuala Lumpur on March 9, 2016.
A total solar eclipse swept across Indonesia, seen by sky gazers and marked by parties, colorful tribal rituals and Muslim prayers.
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Light from a solar eclipse is reflected on a person's hand from a telescope on the Ampera Bridge over the Musi River in Palembang, South Sumatra province, Indonesia March 9, 2016.
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A partial solar eclipse is seen as a laborer works at a construction site in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, March 9, 2016.
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A man watches a solar eclipse through an x-ray film to protect his eyes in Jakarta, Indonesia, March 9, 2016.
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A total solar eclipse, seen in this photo from the beach in Ternate, Indonesia, swept across the vast Indonesian archipelago on March 9, witnessed by tens of thousands of sky gazers.
Most eclipses are partial but when the moon is close enough to the Earth, the sun is completely eclipsed by the moon's shadow and only a spectacular ring of rays known as the corona is visible.
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People watch a solar eclipse near the Ampera Bridge along the banks of the Musi River in Palembang, South Sumatra province, Indonesia March 9, 2016.
The Indonesian government promoted the event for more than a year to boost tourism. Some tour groups chartered ships to view the eclipse, which began in the Indian Ocean and ended in the Pacific, at sea.
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The sun is seen from the beach of Ternate island at the end of a solar eclipse in Indonesia, March 9, 2016.
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A total solar eclipse is seen from Palembang city on March 9, 2016 in Palembang, South Sumatra province, Indonesia.
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A total solar eclipse is seen from Palembang city on March 9, 2016 in Palembang, South Sumatra province, Indonesia.
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People watch and take pictures of the solar eclipse at the beach on Ternate island, Indonesia, March 9, 2016.
The last time a total eclipse occurred over Indonesia was in 1988. Unfounded fears and misinformation caused panic, with people papering windows and keeping children indoors.
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A total solar eclipse is seen in Luwuk, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, March 9, 2016.
"The sun totally disappeared. How amazing this sunny morning suddenly changed to dark," said Junaz Amir, a Sigi resident who witnessed the eclipse with his family using special protective glasses.
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A youth watches a solar eclipse with self-made solar filters at the beach on Ternate island, Indonesia, March 9, 2016.
In Ternate, one of the last cities in the eclipse's path, some residents said they were viewing it by looking at the reflected image in bowls of water. Experts say the total eclipse can be viewed with the naked eye but specific filters should be used during its partial phases to avoid permanent damage to the retina.
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A combination photograph shows the beginning to the end (top L to bottom R) of a total solar eclipse as seen from the beach of Ternate island, Indonesia, March 9, 2016.
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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People watch a solar eclipse outside the planetarium in Jakarta, Indonesia March 9, 2016.
In the capital, Jakarta, thousands of residents packed a planetarium at a downtown park where officials distributed about 4,000 filtered viewing glasses that quickly ran out.
The eclipse, which from the vantage point of Jakarta produced an impressive crescent, was also streamed on monitors around the planetarium
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The solar eclipse is seen from the beach of Ternate island, Indonesia, March 9, 2016.
The last total solar eclipse was in March 2015 and was best viewed on Norway's Svalbard islands near the North Pole.
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People watch a total solar eclipse from the Bay Bridge in Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia March 9, 2016.
The next total eclipse will occur in August 2017 and be visible over a slice of North America
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Students watch the solar eclipse through solar viewers in Bangkok, Thailand, March 9, 2016.
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