Crowds of stargazers in central Chile and parts of Argentina hoping to experience a total solar eclipse saw day turn to night on Monday, even as persistent fog and rain clouds obscured the sky across much of Chile.

A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun, plunging the planet into darkness. Monday’s event was the only solar eclipse of 2020.

More than 100,000 tourists travelled to the popular lakeside villages of Pucon and Villarica, Chile, as well as to several beach communities along the central Pacific coast to view the eclipse, braving a recent uptick in COVID-19 cases, according to official reports.

Though the clouds made viewing difficult, the moon completely obscured the sun across a narrow, 56 mile (90km) band of Argentina and Chile around 1 p.m. local time (1600 GMT), to the cheers and applause of tourists.

Several towns including Piedra del Aguila in Nequen province and San Antonio Oeste in Argentina’s Rio Negro province were also plunged into complete darkness.

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