Indonesians flock to see partial solar eclipse

Jan 26, 2009, 11:04 GMT

   Jakarta - Indonesians in several provinces on Monday viewed a partial solar eclipse, but thick clouds blocked the sighting for many others.

   The annular eclipse, in which the moon is on the far side of its orbit and can't completely cover the Sun, while not as dramatic as a total eclipse, attracted wide attention throughout the archipelago nation.

   Among the best viewing locations in Indonesia were Lampung province in southern Sumatra, which experienced more than six minutes of solar annularity near sunset, and the tip of West Java's Banten province, which saw five minutes of annularity.

   Thick clouds appeared to follow the solar eclipse as it was tracked across Indonesia, sparking anxiety among viewers at Taman Ismail Marzuki Planetarium in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta, where the partial eclipse began at 3:21 pm (0821 GMT).

   However, about 10 minutes before the peak of the eclipse the sky cleared, allowing visitors to view through a big screen the moon passing in front of the sun, local media reports said.

   But hundreds of residents in West Java district of Tasikmalaya said they were unable to see the phenomenon because thick clouds blocked the view. Many Muslims were conducting prayers at mosques as the eclipse occurred, reported the state-run Antara news agency.

   Hundreds of others, including foreign visitors, were lined up at Bosscha Observatory in West Java's Lembang district to get an opportunity to view the sun during the solar eclipse through the telescopes equipped with protective film to protect the eyes.

   In addition of the South-East Asia, the partial eclipse was visible from southern Africa and Australia.