Thousands of tourists and scientists descended on Chile‘s Easter Island Sunday to watch as day suddenly turned to night as the moon passed between the sun and the earth, blocking the sun’s rays in some areas for as much as five minutes.
“It was like being in the stadium at night with artificial light. It was like being in a dark room with a 10-watt bulb,” local official Francisco Haoa told AFP news agency.
The event was only visible from small sections of land, including Easter Island, where the population doubled to about 8,000 as tourists, scientists, photographers, filmmakers and journalists gathered to witness the phenomenon first hand.
In Tahiti, where the eclipse began, crowds of football fans took a break from the World Cup final to catch the awe-inspiring moment.
“It was like the sun was smiling,” eight-year-old Tahitian Hinanui told BBC News.
Forecasters in Easter Island had warned that clouds might obscure the eclipse, but as the moment approached, the clouds dispersed.
Many visitors wore special glasses, so they could watch as the sky lit up.
The Sun is 400 times wider than the Moon, but it is also 400 times farther away. Because of the symmetry, the lunar umbra, or shadow, that falls on the face of the earth is exactly wide enough to cover the face of the sun.
Click to see a diagram on what occurs during a total solar eclipse.
Photo by shehal via Flickr.