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| Eclipse watchers in
Sweden had a good view of totality |
| 1954: Three continents see eclipse of
sun |
England have
Millions of people have witnessed a total eclipse of the sun as the moon cast
its shadow from America through Europe and on to Asia.
For people in Britain it was the first time they could see this natural
phenomenon since 1927.
From Greenwich to Glasgow, thousands of skywatchers using smoked glass
or overexposed film could see at least 75% of the sun obscured.
But the view from the most northerly island of Britain - the Shetland
isle of Unst, and the only point of totality in Britain - was largely
obscured by cloud and drizzle.
When the sun was totally eclipsed by the moon, the skies turned dark
for a few seconds, the temperature dropped and birds flew back to their
nests.
There will not be another total eclipse visible from Britain until
August 1999.
Shadow across the world
The shadow was first spotted in Nebraska, North America, at 1208 BST
today. It then passed over Labrador and across the Atlantic at a speed of
about 1,800 mph (2,897 km/h).
The eclipse was seen in Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Belarus,
Ukraine, Russia, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.
In India, 400,000 Hindu pilgrims bathed in holy water at Kurukhestan in
the Punjab. They believe that the eclipse is caused by two gods, Rahu and
Ketu, trying to swallow the Sun and Moon.
The longest duration of totality was two minutes 35 seconds.
In Sweden about 400 scientists from all over the world gathered to
observe the eclipse which cast an 80-mile (128-km) shadow across the
country.
It is hoped data from observing the corona - the outer atmosphere of
the sun, that is highlighted by such an eclipse - will teach us more about
the shape of the Earth, positions of the moon and the rays of the
sun.
