About 500 people from Bandung and other cities flocked to the Bosscha Observatory in Lembang, south of Bandung, to witness the natural phenomenon that unfurled at 3:20 p.m. Staff at the observatory, managed by the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), had to close the doors to hordes of other eclipse enthusiasts due to overcapacity.
The Boscha Observatory in Lembang, West Bandung district, West Java, succeeded in observing the peak of a solar eclipse and recorded its picture at 4.45 pm on Monday.
"We succeeded in recording the solar eclipse in its peak moment when it took the crescent shape at 4.45 pm" - Mahasena Putra, Boscha observatory astronomer.
Indonesia was one of the few countries worldwide to witness an eclipse of the sun, as the moon slowly crossed its path, blocking out everything but a thin, blazing rim of fire...
Telescopes, welding masks and even an X-ray sheet. Dozens of people with all manner of paraphernalia assembled at the Durban Botanic Gardens as the birds rose to catch a glimpse of Monday's partial solar eclipse. This rare celestial event occurred between 7am and 9am. Although local astronomers feared that cloud cover would ruin the event, this did not stop eager amateur astronomers from gathering at parks and open spaces across the city.
South Africans on Monday morning were able to view a partial solar eclipse of the sun. From 7am the moon began casting its shadow over the sun and earth and it ended its long journey at around 9.30am. Speaking to BuaNews from one of the public viewing sites in Cape Town, astronomer, Dr Enrico Olivier, of the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) explained what happened during the eclipse.
Indonesians were among the few worldwide to witness an eclipse of the sun Monday, but even there the view was hampered in most places by cloudy skies. Dozens gathered in the western coastal town of Anyer as the moon passed across the sun's path at 4:40 p.m., covering 92 percent of the sun's diameter and leaving a white, flaming ring of fire that lasted about four minutes.
"I'm old, but I still think this is magical" - Roanna Makmur, who drove several hours with eight friends to witness the sight, known as an annular eclipse, because it does not completely black out the sun.
Monday marks two events in the solar calendar - the official launch of the International Year of Astronomy 2009 for South Africa, and the first solar eclipse of the year Science and Technology Minister Mosibudi Mangena will give the keynote speech at the South African Astronomical Observatory in Cape Town. Across the country special events will usher in IYA2009, as the year is known, with even small towns such as Deneysville, next to the Vaal Dam, entering into the spirit of things. Kevin Govender, of the South African Astronomical Observatory in Cape Town, said the Mother City - where the eclipse will start at about 7.00am and be over at 9.30am - will have a maximum coverage of about 65 percent.