Total Eclipse of Sun Dazzles Millions in Southern Africa

The first total solar eclipse of the millennium swept across southern Africa on Thursday, thrilling millions of people watching as the last twinkle of sun disappeared, leaving only a fiery halo around the moon.

Onlookers cheered and danced as the eclipse raced eastward, from Angola to Madagascar. In some areas, the moon’s shadow blotted out the sun for more than four minutes.

As darkness fell on Lusaka, the Zambian capital, a crowd of 5,000, many wearing “Eclipse 2001” shirts, cheered as they watched the sun disappear behind the moon.

“It’s incredible! It’s fantastic! I have never seen it before!” shouted Zambian President Frederick Chiluba, who later shook hands with tourists. “There can never be a better ambassador for Zambian tourism.”

Thousands of tourists, astronomers and New Age travelers flocked to Africa for the event, many to prime observation points in Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe said the eclipse was an opportunity to prove that his crisis-bound country is a safe tourist destination.

“It will take you a very short period of stay to realize that the . . . country the media routinely besmirch and depict in hateful and horrid images and epithets is hugely discrepant to the wonderful and serene destination which you have chosen to visit,” Mugabe said in a statement broadcast by government-controlled media.

Many schools and companies in Zimbabwe closed for the day as thousands flocked north to view the full eclipse in tourist areas such as Kariba.

Clouds spoiled the event for thousands of spectators who assembled at a spot in southern Madagascar, billed as the Indian Ocean island’s best viewing site.

“Astronomy is riddled with such cases,” one exasperated expert said. “Specialists come from all corners of the world to watch the skies, and a few clouds spoil everything.”

The eclipse began at about 6:57 a.m. on the Angolan coast and then cut across Zambia and into northern Zimbabwe and Mozambique, ending in Madagascar at 10:30 a.m.

The last total eclipse was in Europe in August 1999. The next one will be in southern Africa again, in December 2002, but that will be during the rainy season, when there is a greater chance of cloudy skies.

Area of Solar Eclipse

The first total eclipse of the sun in the millenium occurred Thursday across southern Africa.