ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) -
From a park near Albuquerque, to the top of
Japan's Mount Fuji, to the California coast the effect was dramatic: The
moon nearly blotting out the sun creating a blazing "ring of fire"
eclipse.
Millions of people across a narrow strip of
eastern Asia and the Western U.S. turned their sights skyward for the
annular eclipse, in which the moon passes in front of the sun leaving
only a golden ring around its edges.
The rare lunar-solar alignment was visible in Asia
early Monday before it moved across the Pacific - and the international
dateline - where it was seen in parts of the western United States late
Sunday afternoon.
People from Colorado, Oklahoma and as far away as
Canada traveled to Albuquerque to enjoy one of the best vantage points
at a park on the edge of the city.
Members of the crowd smiled and cheered and
children yelled with excitement as the moon crossed the sun and the
blazing halo of light began to form. Some watched the eclipse by placing
their viewing glasses on the front of their smartphones.
Eventually, the moon centered and covered about 96 percent of the sun.
"That's got to be the prettiest thing I've ever seen," said Brent Veltri of Salida, Colo.
Elsewhere, viewing parties were held at
observatories in Reno, Nev., and Oakland, Calif., while skywatchers
gathered in coastal and forest counties in California. In some areas,
special camera filters for taking photographs have been sold out for
weeks in anticipation of the big event.
Yet, while millions were making an effort to view
the eclipse, some American Indians were adhering to tradition by staying
indoors.
Navajo Bonnie Charley of Monument Valley in northeast Arizona said she follows her tribe's traditions.
"You're supposed to stay inside," said the
75-year-old Charley, whose father was a medicine man. "No eating,
drinking or sleeping. That's for the duration of the eclipse."
She said Navajo traditions surrounding eclipses stem from their beliefs regarding creation.
The eclipse was broadcast live on TV in Tokyo,
where such an eclipse hasn't been visible since 1839. Japanese TV crews
watched from the top of Mount Fuji and even staked out a zoo south of
Tokyo to capture the reaction of the chimpanzees - who didn't seem to
notice.
Eclipse tours were arranged in Japan at schools
and parks, on pleasure boats and even private airplanes. Similar events
were held in China and Taiwan as well, with skywatchers warned to
protect their eyes.
A light rain fell on Tokyo as the eclipse began,
but the clouds thinned as it reached its peak, providing near perfect
conditions.
"It was a very mysterious sight," said Kaori
Sasaki, who joined a crowd in downtown Tokyo to watch event. "I've never
seen anything like it."
A Japanese zoo said the eclipse apparently made ring-tailed lemurs believe it was evening.
Some 20 lemurs at the Japan Monkey Center in
central Japan skipped breakfast, climbed up and jumped between trees and
poles, a typical evening behavior, according to the zoo web site. They
returned to normal after the eclipse.
"They must be reacting to the eclipse," zoo director Akira Kato told public broadcaster NHK.
At the Taipei Astronomical Museum in Taiwan, the
spectacle emerged from dark clouds for only about 30 seconds. But the
view was nearly perfect against Manila's orange skies.
"It's amazing. We do this for the awe (and) it has
not disappointed. I am awed, literally floored," said astronomical
hobbyist Garry Andreassen, whose long camera lenses were lined up with
those of about 10 other gazers in a downtown Manila park.
Hong Kong skywatchers weren't so lucky.
Several hundred people gathered along the Kowloon
waterfront on Hong Kong's famed Victoria Harbor, most of them students
or commuters on their way to work. The eclipse was already under way as
the sun began to rise, but heavy clouds obstructed the view.
The eclipse followed a narrow 8,500-mile path for 3
1/2 hours. The ring phenomenon lasted about five minutes, depending on
location. People outside the narrow band for prime viewing saw a partial
eclipse.
"Ring of Fire" eclipses are not as dramatic as a
total eclipse, when the disc of the sun is entirely blocked by the moon.
The moon is too far from Earth and appears too small in the sky to blot
out the sun completely.
Doctors and education officials have warned of eye
injuries from improper viewing. Before the event started, Japan's
Education Minister Hirofumi Hirano demonstrated how to use eclipse
glasses in a televised news conference.
Police also cautioned against traffic accidents - warning drivers to keep their eyes on the road.
___
Tallmadge reported from Tokyo. Associated Press
writers Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo, Wally Santana in Taipei, Hrvoje
Hranjski in Manila, Kelvin Chan in Hong Kong and photojournalist Julie
Jacobson in Kayenta, Ariz., contributed to this report.
