Eclipse Draws Thousands to Watch Desert Plunge Into Darkness

(Bloomberg) -- Astronomers and amateur skywatchers were treated to a total solar eclipse in part of Chile’s northern desert, an area famed for its clear skies and host to some of the world’s largest telescopes.

More than 200,000 people flocked to the coastal resort of La Serena and the nearby Elqui Valley to witness the moon’s shadow cover the totality of the sun for exactly 2 minutes and 36 seconds at 4:39 p.m. local time Tuesday. Such eclipses happen once every few months, but this year’s happened to take place in a region that attracts tens of thousands of amateur astronomers every year.

About half of the world’s observation capacity is now installed in Chile and with new mega telescopes under construction, that number is set to rise to 70% by 2020. The country hosts seven of the world’s 18 largest optic telescopes, as well as the world’s most powerful and modern radio-telescope. High altitude, low humidity, cloudless skies and a lack of light pollution make northern Chile’s skies the world’s clearest.

Public and private institutions across the globe have invested an estimated $5 billion in 22 observatories in Chile, according to local media. Projects under construction include the $473 million Large Synoptic Survey Telescope, or LSST, and the European Southern Observatory’s Extremely Large Telescope or E-ELT, with an estimated investment of 1.17 billion euros ($1.32 billion).

Special glasses

While the eclipse wasn’t total further south in the capital Santiago, thousands of Chileans still watched from the city’s most emblematic spots, including the Costanera tower, South America’s tallest building.

The special glasses required to see the eclipse ran out in many stores earlier in the week. By Tuesday, those who couldn’t find them were taking the risk and making their own.

“It has been spectacular to see such a phenomenon in my own country,” said 37-year-old Claudia Castillo, who witnessed the eclipse from San Cristobal hill in Santiago. “Half of the fun are the crowds, there’s so many people!”

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