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Cheering, praying, breaking records: Indonesians welcome last solar eclipse of decade
From thronging the streets to praying and breaking world records, residents in several regions of Indonesia had different ways to express their awe over the annular solar eclipse on Thursday.
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Two students lie on the grass while using special glasses to observe the partial annular solar eclipse at the Sinapeul soccer field in Gudang Kahuripan village, Lembang district, West Bandung regency, West Java, on Thursday. (JP/Arya Dipa)
From thronging the streets to praying and breaking world records, residents in several regions of Indonesia had different ways to express their awe over the annular solar eclipse on Thursday.
An annular solar eclipse happens when the moon covers the sun's center but is unable to block it completely, leaving what looks like a 'ring of fire' or annulus.
Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) spokesman Akhmad Taufan Maulana said the rare phenomenon, which would be the last solar eclipse of the decade, could be observed in 25 cities in seven provinces of Indonesia, including Aceh, North Sumatra, Riau, East Kalimantan and North Kalimantan.
In Medan, North Sumatra, thousands of residents gathered in front of North Sumatra Muhammadiyah University (UMSU) to watch the annular eclipse and took part in an eclipse prayer.
The university distributed 3,000 solar eclipse glasses for free to the observers in an attempt to break the Indonesian Museum of Records (MURI) record. It also constructed a giant pinhole camera, measuring 7 by 15 meters, to observe the eclipse in another effort to break a MURI record.
University student Azzauzi Syahwiral said he was very glad to see the annular eclipse with his own eyes.
