A rare total solar eclipse plunged a vast swath of Latin America’s southern cone into darkness late on Tuesday, briefly turning day into night and enthralling huge crowds in much of Chile and Argentina.
Hundreds of thousands of people flocked to Chile’s northern Coquimbo region near the Atacama desert — festooned with some of the planet’s most powerful telescopes — which was situated directly on the eclipse’s 100-mile-wide “path of totality.”
Large crowds congregated in the town of La Higuera, some 2,400 m above sea level and near the landmark La Silla Observatory, operated by the European Southern Observatory.
“I don’t believe there’s a better place in the world to see an eclipse than La Silla,” said Australian tourist Betsy Clark.
Clark and her family were among thousands who flocked to the craggy peaks around the observatory on Tuesday.
They were not disappointed. The eclipse had its longest duration as it made to La Silla: 2.36 minutes. “It was an experience to last several lifetimes,” said Chilean tourist Rene Serey.
Solar eclipses happen when the Sun, the Moon and Earth line up, allowing the Moon to cast its shadow on Earth.
The area where the observatory is located, with its dry weather, crystal-clear air and low light pollution, is a stargazers’ paradise.
To the west, in the coastal town of La Serena, thousands of people on the beach cheered and clapped at the moment when the Moon closed over the Sun.
