Solar eclipse plunges southern Chile, Argentina into darkness
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PUCON, Chile, Dec 15, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Thousands of people turned their heads to the sky to watch a solar eclipse that lasted around two minutes on Monday as southern Chile and Argentina were plunged into darkness.
Heavy rain had threatened to prevent star gazers in Chile from seeing the eclipse but at the last moment the clouds parted just enough for the phenomenon to be partially visible.
“It was beautiful, unique. The truth is that no-one held much hope of seeing it due to the weather and clouds, but it was unique because it cleared up just in time. It was a miracle,” an emotional Matias Tordecilla, 18, told AFP in the town of Pucon on the shores of Lake Villarrica.
Parts of South America were plunged into darkness yesterday by a spectacular solar eclipse caused by the moon passing between the Sun and the Earth.
Thousands of people in Argentina and southern Chile turned their heads to the sky to watch the event, which began at 1 pm (4 pm GMT) and lasted around 2 minutes.
Heavy rain had threatened to prevent onlookers in Chile from witnessing the alignment, but the clouds parted just enough at the last moment.
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Parts of South America were plunged into darkness yesterday by a solar eclipse (pictured here as seen from Argentina) caused by the moon passing between the Sun and the Earth
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Thousands of people turned their heads to the sky to watch a solar eclipse that lasted around two minutes on Monday as southern Chile and Argentina were plunged into darkness.
Heavy rain had threatened to prevent star gazers in Chile from seeing the eclipse but at the last moment the clouds parted just enough for the phenomenon to be partially visible.
It was beautiful, unique. The truth is that no-one held much hope of seeing it due to the weather and clouds, but it was unique because it cleared up just in time. It was a miracle, an emotional Matias Tordecilla, 18, told AFP in the town of Pucon on the shores of Lake Villarrica.