Millions in Asia watch total solar eclipse

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The total solar eclipse swept across a narrow band of Asia, where hundreds of millions of people watched the skies darken. Although thick clouds blocked the view in some areas, people's enthusiasm has been high.

Bangladeshis watch the solar eclipse through specially-designed viewing material in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Wednesday, July 22, 2009. The longest solar eclipse of the 21st century pitched a swath of Asia from India to China into near darkness Wednesday as millions gathered to watch the phenomenon.  (AP Photo/Pavel Rahman)

The view of the eclipse began in India, just after dawn.

Large crowds gathered at a section of the river Ganges in the holy city of Varanasi to offer prayers.

Elsewhere in the country, viewers, including many foreigners waited to catch a glimpse.

A group of people even boarded a chartered plane to chase the total eclipse above the clouds at a height of 41,000 feet.

Youngest Shreya eclipse chaser on plane said, "It was really good. You are never going to see it ever. Just a black spot, it's totally beyond words."