SANTIAGO – Chileans will turn their eyes to the sky on Monday to admire a total eclipse of the sun, but unlike last year’s phenomenon, their numbers will be severely reduced by coronavirus restrictions.
Some 300,000 people turned out in July 2019 in the Atacama desert in the country’s north, home to several observatories.
On Monday, it will be the turn of the Araucania region in the south, which is home to the Mapuche indigenous community, to observe the eclipse.
Their ability to do so will be hampered by the latest measures announced on Thursday by the government, restricting the movement of people outside of the capital’s metropolitan area after a spike in Covid-19 cases.
To observe the phenomenon, when the moon passes between the Earth and sun, entirely blocking the latter, one needs to be in the exact 90km-long area that will enjoy the full effect.
And, they will only have two minutes and nine seconds at around 1pm (1600 GMT) to see the eclipse, framed by the backdrop of the Villarrica volcano – one of the most active in the country.
The eclipse will then cross the imposing Andes mountain range to be visible in Argentina, notably in the popular tourist destination of Bariloche.
It will then disappear over the southern Atlantic.
‘Two-minute night’
“A two-minute night during which nature changes” is how Chilean astronomer Jose Maza described the moment the daytime sky turns violet before surrendering to obscurity, and revealing stars and planets such as Jupiter, Saturn and Venus.
“At the moment of the eclipse, the temperature falls around 5°C and the wind picks up, so if people aren’t under shelter, they’ll feel a bit cold.”
Every year, there are two total eclipses of the sun, but depending on the time of day or year, they may not be visible.
While last year’s took place at dusk, this time, it will be in the middle of the day.
After 2019’s mass gathering in the Atacama desert, the Araucania region was expecting a tourism bonanza in 2020, but Covid-19 put paid to that.
There have been more than 560,000 cases in Chile among its 18 million population, with almost 15,700 deaths.
Authorities are worried that social gatherings during the holiday season could spark a spate of new virus focal points.
Strict controls have been announced for the areas where the total eclipse will be seen, with free movement banned both the day before and after. – AFP, December 12, 2020
