document: Thousands of peole prayed , cheered , danced , beat drums and observed other traditions today as a total eclipse of the sun darkened a wide area of Indonesia and the southern Philippines . The sun was blacked out by the shadow of the moon for up to four minutes along a 108-mile swath that moved from the Indian Ocean across Indonesia and the southern Philippine island of Mindanao . A partial eclipse was visible across a wide area of Asia as far west as India _ including Southeast Asia , China , Japan and New Guinea as well as parts of Australia and the Pacific islands . Scientists said the eclipse would end at sunset in the Gulf of Alaska . Clouds obscured the solar spectacular in Jakarta , Indonesia , Hong Kong and in the eastern Mindanao city of Davao , where thousands of tourists and scientists had gathered to observe the eclipse . But it was visible for about 3 minutes in this city about 650 miles southeast of Manila despite early scattered clouds . President Corazon Aquino flew in to witness the event . Richard Fisher of the High Altitude Observatory in Boulder , Colo. , said that despite scattered clouds , scientists were confident they had taken useful pictures of the eclipse . In Jakarta , Wilson Sinambela of the National Institute of Aeronautics said a total eclipse was observed in several parts of the country , including by about 1,000 tourists in the South Sumatra capital Palembang . He said thousands of Indonesians prayed and beat drums to herald the start of the eclipse , which began in southwestern Sumatra before heading on to the Philippines . In Kuala Lumpur , where a partial eclipse blocked out about 80 percent of the sun , some Malaysian Hindus visited temples to pray for protection against harm during the eclipse . In Kurukshetra , India , an estimated 1 million pilgrims dipped into the waters of the sacred Sannihit and Brahmsarover tanks after a public address system announced the start of the eclipse . Hymns were chanted and conch shells blown during the ceremony about 90 miles north of New Delhi . Clouds blocked the first moments of the eclipse in General Santos City . But the cloud cover broke , setting off wild cheering among the thousands who watched the phenomenon in a scorching tropical heat . Street lights switched on , and members of the Naragcas tribe , in the city for a festival , danced in the streets to the beat of drums . In Baguio City , 130 miles north of Manila , pregnant women of the local Ilocano community rinsed their hair during the eclipse with water dripped from burned rice straws in a traditional ritual . According to local superstition , babies conceived during or shortly before an eclipse will be deformed unless their mothers practice the ritual . Many other Filipinos marked the eclipse by going to church . The Philippines is Asia 's only predominately Christian country . `` This phenomenon is a clear reminder from God for mankind to repent its sins , '' said Theresa Teopengco , a government employee . Officials said about 20,000 tourists and scientists from around the world had come to the southern Philippines to watch the eclipse , the last one expected here for at least 50 years . Scientists said the area afforded the best opportunity to witness and study the eclipse because skies are usually clear this time of year . But in Davao City , 60 miles to the northeast , morning clouds sent hundreds scurrying to the airport for flights to General Santos . Church bells in Davao tolled while police and civilians set off firecrackers and fired weapons in the air to mark the eclipse . In Manila , thousands turned out under clear skies to see the partial eclipse that blocked about 75 percent of the sun 's surface at its height . Police said four people were injured when a passenger bus collided with a jeep during the eclipse . `` The drivers were probably looking skyward when the accident occurred , '' said policeman Ricardo Manansala . `` It 's impossible to gaze at the sky and drive a vehicle at the same time . '' Solar eclipses occur when the moon positions itself between the Earth and the sun . The Chinese first recorded a total solar eclipse in 2137 B.C. , regarding them as signs of a battle to death between the sun and the dragon .
extractive_keyphrases: total eclipse sun moon partial eclipse solar eclipses tourists wide area witness