TAREGNA, India (AP) - The longest solar eclipse of the 21st century pitched a swath of Asia into near-darkness after dawn, as millions gathered to watch the once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon.
A woman was killed in a stampede at the Ganges river in India, where devout Hindus had gathered to watch the eclipse.
Millions of others, gripped by fear, shuttered themselves indoors. India abounds in superstitions and fables based on Hindu mythology, one of which says an eclipse is caused when a dragon-demon swallows the sun, while another myth is that sun rays during an eclipse can harm unborn children.
Total eclipse, in India, took place at 5:54 p.m. (PST) Tuesday before moving to Nepal, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Bhutan and China.
The eclipse - caused when the moon moves directly between the sun and the earth, covering it completely to cast a shadow on earth - lasted almost 4 minutes in India.
In some parts of Asia it lasted as long as 6 minutes and 39 seconds.
The eclipse - visible only in Asia - is the longest such eclipse since July 11, 1991, when a total eclipse lasting 6 minutes, 53 seconds was visible from Hawaii to South America. There will not be a longer eclipse than this one until 2132.
Comments
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.
Sign in to comment