Asia views solar eclipse

This multiple-exposure image shows the various stages of the total solar eclipse over Baihata, India. The longest solar eclipse of the 21st century cast a shadow over much of Asia, plunging hundreds of millions into darkness across the giant land masses of India and China.  (Biju Boro / AFP/Getty Images)

A partial solar eclipse silhouettes birds surrounding a minaret in Multan, Pakistan.  (Khalid Tanveer / Associated Press)

Hindu devotees take holy dips in the Sangam, the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati rivers, during the solar eclipse in Allahabad, India.  (Rajesh Kumar Singh / Associated Press)

These before and after photos show the sky going dark over Shanghai, China, during the solar eclipse.  (AFP/AFP/Getty Images)

The sun emerges from total eclipse in Varanasi, India.  (Saurabh Das / Associated Press)

Sadhus, Hindu holy men, watch the eclipse through protective earwear in Allahabad, India.  (Rajesh Kumar Singh / Associated Press)

Taiwanese spectators project a shadow during the eclipse outside the astrological museum in the capital, Taipei.  (Wally Santana / Associated Press)

Student Dang Anh Tuan shows an image of the solar eclipse at the observatory at Hanoi National University of Education in the Vietnamese capital. Millions of people across Asia will witness the longest total solar eclipse of the 21st century, though in most of Vietnam, people will see only a partial eclipse.  (Chitose Suzuki / Associated Press)

Students watch the solar eclipse at the observatory at Hanoi National University of Education in Vietnam.  (Chitose Suzuki / Associated Press)

A Chinese couple try out welding screens they bought Tuesday at a hardware store to safely view the solar eclipse Wednesday in Beijing. But heavy clouds and rain are likely to ruin the party for millions of people hoping to watch the solar eclipse from Shanghai and other parts of eastern China, meteorologists said.  (AFP/Getty Images)

Takshashila Academy students use special goggles during a class preparing them to view the solar eclipse in Katmandu, Nepal. The eclipse will begin at 5:46 a.m. and end at 7:45 a.m. in Nepal.  (Narendra Shrestha / EPA)

Students help their teacher demonstrate how to use goggles to safely watch the solar eclipse in Allahabad, India, on Tuesday. Millions of people across Asia are poised to witness the century’s longest total solar eclipse. Vast swaths of India and China, the entire city of Shanghai and southern Japanese islands will be plunged into darkness Wednesday for about five minutes.  (Rajesh Kumar Singh / Associated Press)

A visitor peers at the sun from a campsite in the town of Tatsugo on Japan’s southern island of Amami Oshima on Tuesday.  (Koji Sasahara / Associated Press)