Cloud blocks lunar eclipse, thwarts photographers

JAKARTA (JP): Moon watchers and photographers were mostly frustrated in their efforts to view the century's last total lunar eclipse yesterday when heavy cloud blocked the sky over most of the city in the wee hours of the morning.

Some lucky snappers armed with zoom lenses at the Ancol Dreamland complex in North Jakarta got a few shots of the eclipse, which was the result of the earth being positioned between the sun and the moon.

One news photographer expressed the frustration of many when he said: "The annoying cloud turned my multiple-exposure shots into garbage."

Dozens of spectators at National Monument Square in Central Jakarta only saw part of the total eclipse, which passed Asia yesterday.

The total eclipse lasted from 12:09 a.m. to 3:26 a.m. here as predicted by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Astronomical Agency of the Bandung Institute of Technology and the 1997 World Astronomical Calendar.

According to early estimates, there will not be another total eclipse until mid-July 2000.

As in many other cities and towns nationwide, Moslems in Greater Jakarta performed the Khusuf prayer followed by a sermon at homes, prayer houses or mosques. Khusuf is a special prayer held only during an eclipse as a way of praising God Almighty and asking for His forgiveness.

At Istiqlal Mosque, one of the largest mosques in Asia, about 200 Moslems performed the Khusuf prayer as the eclipse began.

A staffer at the mosque was quoted by Antara as saying: "The weather was so bad (to actually see the eclipse). But we later decided to start the prayer a few minutes past 12 a.m., assuming that the total eclipse had just started."

The prayer was also performed by Moslems in other cities and villages around the country, including Sumatra, Java and Kalimantan.

Unlike viewers in Jakarta, moon watchers in the Central Kalimantan capital of Palangka Raya completely missed the lunar eclipse because of thick haze covering the city's sky.

At the Lembang Observatory in West Java, however, observers, amateur astronomers and reporters were busy recording yesterday's eclipse. (bsr)