Crowds Cheer Mother Nature Magic: Solar Eclipse

SALLOUM, Egypt, March 29, 2006 — -- Mother Nature worked her magic today and even though the show lasted only four minutes, the crowds went wild.

Thousands of people gathered in the desert near Salloum, a coastal town a few miles from the Libyan border, to observe a total eclipse of the sun.

It was just the 29th total solar eclipse since the 1500s.

The moon started sneaking across the sun from the lower right side. It took about 90 minutes for the eclipse to be total, at which time the temperature dropped 29 degrees Fahrenheit.

In only minutes, the sky changed from bright blue to a dark purple.

"I understand why ancient people got so scared. If you don't know what is happening, it seems like doomsday," said Barbara Alexander, who made the trip from Santa Cruz, Calif.

Many observers cheered seconds before the total eclipse as they witnessed what is called a diamond-ring effect, when just the top of the sun glows like a four-carat gem.

Total Eclipse

For nearly four minutes in the middle of the day the sky was dark, the wind was blowing, and it was cold.

"This kind of eclipse is important because it's the only time when one can see the corona, which is the glow around the sun, " said a German astrologer who has seen eight eclipses.

Most people watched the sky with their special red-and-blue-frame glasses to protect their eyes, while others peeked through telescopes.

The spectacle attracted people from Japan, Holland, Indonesia, Switzerland, the United States, and from nearby.

"We chose to come to Egypt because we wanted to see it [solar eclipse] where people thousands of years ago witnessed the same thing," said Jane Alpert, a teacher from Berkeley, Calif.

This was the first time Alpert had seen a total eclipse, but her travel companion had crossed the globe to see five already.

"It's a monumental mind-expanding experience," Barbara Lanier said.

A Kenyan boy, Deep Magda, 14, traveled with his class to witness the historic show in the sky.

"It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience," he said. "It's amazing to see so many people from all over in one place, especially when not everyone in this world gets along."

The light returned to the blazing desert as quickly as the dark had descended upon the day.

Immediately, people started packing their stuff.

The hard-core observers will have to wait another 18 years and 11 days before they can plant their telescopes to see the next one.