Spectacular solar eclipse over the Pacific
A TOTAL solar eclipse drew an 11,000 km arc over the Pacific Sunday,
plunging remote isles into darkness in a heavenly display climaxing on mysterious Easter Island.
plunging remote isles into darkness in a heavenly display climaxing on mysterious Easter Island.
The skies grew black in the middle of the day as the Moon slipped in front of the Sun and aligned with the Earth,
blotting out the sunshine that just moments earlier had swathed Easter island's silent, ancient stone guardians.
blotting out the sunshine that just moments earlier had swathed Easter island's silent, ancient stone guardians.
The Sun is 400 times wider than the Moon, but it is also 400 times farther away.
Because of the symmetry, the lunar umbra that falls on the face of the Earth is exactly wide enough to cover the face of the Sun.
Because of the symmetry, the lunar umbra that falls on the face of the Earth is exactly wide enough to cover the face of the Sun.
A view of the solar eclipse in Valparaiso City, 121 km northwest of Santiago.
