New Delhi, July 22 - There was excitement in the air as a shaded sun peeped from an overcast sky at dawn Wednesday with tens of thousands of people across the country gathering at rooftops, planetariums and parks to watch the century's longest total solar eclipse.

The eclipse started at sunrise in Surat in Gujarat at 5.28 a.m. when the moon started covering the sun and reached its peak at around 6.23 a.m. when the sun was completely obscured by the moon. The eclipse ended at 7.25 a.m.

The spectacle, marred by a cloud cover in many places, lasted six minutes and 44 seconds. The next time it will take place will be 123 years later in 2132.

The total solar eclipse was visible in some parts of the country like Surat in Gujarat, Indore and Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh, Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, Patna and Taregna in Bihar, and Guwahati in Assam. The rest of the country experienced a partial eclipse.

However, at many places like Taregna and Surat people were disappointed as a thick layer of cloud hindered the clear view of the eclipse. Taregna was said to be one of the best places in India to watch the phenomenon.

The most beautiful part of the eclipse was when sun was completely covered by the moon and the corona became visible, forming a faint crown of pearly white light. Corona is the outer atmosphere of the sun, which is visible only during a total solar eclipse.

It was a breathtaking experience for a group of 50 people who chased the eclipse at 41,000 feet above the ground in a chartered flight over Gaya in Bihar.

In Delhi, around 3,000 people, including children, came to the Nehru Planetarium and National Science Centre to watch the eclipse.