Jakarta – A rare total solar eclipse was to plunge parts of the Indonesian archipelago into eerie day-time darkness on Wednesday, according to the Indonesian Aeronautics and Space Agency.
The agency said that astronomy lovers and stargazers from around the world have flocked to remote Indonesian locales, as far as Ternate Island in the Moluccan chain, to observe the natural phenomenon.
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The eclipse was expected to be visible in totality in six places in Indonesia, Palembang, Palangk Raya, Balikpapan, Palu, Ternate, Sofifi for between 1.5 and 3 minutes starting at 7:21 local time (0021 GMT).
A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes directly between the Earth and the sun, obscuring the sun and thus casting a shadow over the Earth.
Muslim leaders have called on the faithful to perform eclipse prayers in mosques across the country. (dpa/NAN)