Century's longest eclipse leaves Asia in the dark
12:0122/07/2009 MOSCOW, July 22 (RIA Novosti) - Millions of people gathered across Asia on Wednesday as the 21st century's longest eclipse swept across the continent.
The eclipse lasted six minutes and 39 seconds at its maximum point and could be seen in India, Nepal, Burma, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Japan and Pacific islands. It will not be matched for duration until June 13, 2132.
However, cloud cover made visibility poor in many parts of India, including in the village of Taregna, the epicenter of the eclipse.
In India and Nepal, in accordance with Hindu tradition, people bathed in rivers and lakes to witness the phenomena. The day was declared a public holiday in Nepal.
The long-awaited eclipse turned total over India at 00:53 GMT. It could last be witnessed from land on Nikumaroro Island in the South Pacific island of Kiribati. The eclipse ended at 04:18 GMT.
Amateur astronomers and the plain curious took advantage of "eclipse trips," including chartered flights and cruises to vantage points in a number of countries, including India and China.
All around the world, solar eclipses are widely seen as omens of violence, wars, outbreaks of disease and natural disasters.
Indian and Chinese astrologers predicted outbreaks of violence during the eclipse, particularly in Southeast Asia. In India, some pregnant women asked doctors to change the date of their caesarian sections to avoid giving birth on the ill-omened day.
The eclipse was not seen in Russia, but scientists from the Moscow Serbsky Institute for Social and Forensic Psychiatry said they would monitor calls on their hotline to study whether the eclipse had any affect on the number of people seeking psychological and psychiatric aid.
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