Total solar eclipse: thousands in Chile and Argentina marvel at 'something supreme'

Best views were in the Atacama desert, where a total eclipse has not occurred since 1592
" Thousands watch total solar eclipse from Chile and Argentina - in pictures

Hundreds of thousands of tourists scattered across the north Chilean desert on Tuesday to experience a rare and irresistible combination for astronomy buffs: a total eclipse of the sun viewed from beneath the world's clearest skies.

A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun, plunging the planet into darkness. It happens only rarely in any given spot across the globe.