Mesmerizing images as the total solar eclipse travels over Southeast Asia

"The cool thing for those who are going to be in the path of totality is that they are going to be able to see the outer atmosphere of the sun called the corona", C. Alex Young, a solar astrophysicist from NASA, told The New York Times.

In some places observers could see a total solar eclipse, but in other parts of the region people on the ground saw only a partial eclipse, which meant they had to view it through a filter to protect their eyes.

NASA also webcast live views of the eclipse, in collaboration with the Exploratorium science museum in San Francisco and the National Science Foundation, from Woleai atoll in the Pacific Ocean, part of the Federated States of Micronesia.

A solar eclipse happens when the moon passes between the earth and the sun, blocking the light.

A man watches a solar eclipse through an x-ray film in Jakarta, Indonesia.

"I'm so happy that I can see this rare phenomenon in my life", said Nurjanah Hassan, a mother of three in Ternate in eastern Indonesia, one of the last cities in the eclipse's path. Unfounded fears and misinformation caused panic, with people papering windows and keeping children indoors.

Craig Small, a semiretired Hayden Planetarium astronomer, was taking off to view his 31st total eclipse.

Cloudy skies in parts of Indonesia dampened the spectacle for some.

In Singapore a crowd of about 400 people, including students and families, gathered at a university sports field to watch the partial eclipse, while groups of enthusiasts also converged on beaches and outside their highrise apartments to gaze upwards. The total solar eclipse is upon us and things are about to get gloomy.

An image of a solar eclipse was taken Tuesday night aboard an Alaska Airlines flight - 36,000 feet in the sky.

As well as being seen in Sumatra, the eclipse travelled across Sulawesi, Borneo and the Malukus. The next total eclipse will occur in August 2017 and be visible over a slice of North America. On land the durations were mostly between 1 and 3 minutes.

Those in Indonesia had the best vantage point.

Source: Mesmerizing images as the total solar eclipse travels over Southeast Asia