Thousands of Indonesians witnessed a rare celestial event on Tuesday night: a total eclipse of the sun.

The moon passes between Earth and the sun every month, but a total solar eclipse happens only when the three celestial bodies are perfectly aligned. And this particular eclipse was even more spectacular, because it occurred while the moon was at its closest point to Earth, appearing as a large “supermoon” to those on terra firma.

See For Yourself Watch a short replay of the March 2016 solar eclipse filmed live in Micronesia.



The moon casts its dark central shadow, called the umbra, onto a very narrow strip along the surface of the Earth. The total eclipse is visible only to people standing within that shadowed strip. This week's total eclipse was visible mostly over a stretch of the Pacific Ocean, but also fell across parts of Indonesia.

Sun 101 It's 100 times bigger than Earth, reaches unfathomably hot temperatures—and makes sunscreen a really good idea. Take a breathtaking journey to the Earth's closest star, the sun.

