TAREGNA, India – The longest solar eclipse of the 21st century pitched a swath of Asia from India to China into near darkness Wednesday as millions gathered to watch the phenomenon.
But millions more, gripped by fear, shuttered themselves in. India abounds in superstitions and fables based on Hindu mythology, one of which says an eclipse is caused when a dragon-demon swallows the sun.
The eclipse is caused when the moon covers the sun completely to cast a shadow on earth. In some parts of Asia it lasted as long as 6 minutes and 39 seconds.
Thick cloud cover over India obscured the sun when the eclipse began at dawn. But the clouds parted in several cities, minutes before the total eclipse took place at 6.24 a.m. (0054 GMT; 8:54 p.m. EDT).
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