The “spectacular” images only capture the total solar eclipse of 2020

Thousands of people gathered on Monday in the Chilean region of La Araucanía to witness the only total solar eclipse of the year, rejoicing at the rare experience, although visibility was limited due to the cloudy sky. The sky was clear in northern Patagonia, Argentina, where people also watched the moon briefly blocking the sun and dipping the day in the dark.

Many people wore masks to slow the spread of COVID-19, although they gathered in some places in Pucón and other areas of La Araucanía, 430 miles south of Santiago, the Chilean capital.

“It was worth the two minutes,” said witness Diego Fuentes, who traveled south with his family to see the eclipse.

“I really liked it and it was good that there were clouds because we could see him a little bit without glasses,” said Catalina Morales, a girl who saw the eclipse with her father, Cristián Morales. He described it as “spectacular, a unique experience”.

Thousands jumped and shouted happily at the drizzle when the sun was completely covered by the moon and then silence fell for a few moments. People shouted again and made an excited shout when the sun came up again.

During the brief period of darkness, only the lights of cell phones were visible.

About 500,000 Mapuche indigenous people live in La Araucanía. They traditionally believe that the eclipse indicates the momentary death of the sun after a fight with the moon and causes negative consequences.

Diego Ancalao, a member of a Mapuche community and head of an indigenous foundation that promotes development, noted that a total solar eclipse in July 2019 was followed by civil unrest in Chile and then by the coronavirus pandemic.

Experts said the solar eclipse was partially visible in several other Latin American countries, as well as in parts of Africa and parts of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. The next total solar eclipse in Chile is expected to occur in 28 years. Another is expected to be visible in Antarctica in late 2021.