MOSCOW (AP)
— An enormous swath of western Siberia was submerged in darkness Friday
afternoon as the moon completely blocked the sun, enrapturing huge crowds of
Russians and foreign tourists.
The peak of
the eclipse occurred in Novosibirsk, Russia's third-largest city.
There,
forecasts of cloudy skies proved wrong, and tens of thousands of people who had
flocked to the center of town were able to observe the rare total eclipse of
the sun — which lasted two minutes, 23 seconds — in its full beauty.
Traffic
stopped. Crowds wearing protective eye wear cheered and whistled as the moon
covered the sun, the wind died and day became night.
Lucas Heinrich,
a physics student from Berlin who traveled to Novosibirsk with classmates,
described the eclipse as "unbelievable."
"It
became cold and dark, and suddenly it was light again. I am very happy — it was
worth the trip," Heinrich said.
The NTV
news channel reported that more than 10,000 foreign tourists arrived in Novosibirsk, the largest city in the eclipse's path, to watch.
The eclipse
began in Arctic Canada, then passed through Greenland, western Siberia, Mongolia and China.
In Novosibirsk, the airport announced that it turned on nighttime landing lights during the
total and partial darkness, which lasted more than two hours.
At the city
zoo, polar bears and white tigers suddenly lay down to sleep. A snow leopard
grew restless and ran around its cage until the sun reappeared.
Cloudy
weather in other parts of Western Siberia prevented many people from enjoying
the spectacle.
Viewers
were repeatedly warned to prevent eye injuries by wearing protective glasses,
which sold throughout Novosibirsk for 50 rubles (US$2.10, euro1.40).
In Moscow, half the sun was blocked, but cloud cover prevented Muscovites from viewing the
partial eclipse.
People have
been recording solar eclipses for perhaps 4,000 years, and they typically
inspire a combination of dread, fascination and awe.
According
to NASA, the next total eclipse will occur July 22, 2009, starting in India and moving across Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, China and over the Pacific Ocean.
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