rishi, the eaten sun

A bird flies in the sky as a solar eclipse is seen in Xiangfan in central China's Hubei province Friday Aug. 1, 2008. Millions of Chinese along the ancient Silk Road gathered Friday to gaze at a total solar eclipse, an event traditionally fraught with superstitious meaning coming one week before the start of the Beijing Olympics.

The event was seen as a total eclipse in Arctic Canada, then passed through Greenland, western Siberia, Mongolia and China. People have been recording solar eclipses for perhaps 4,000 years, and they typically inspire a combination of dread, fascination and awe.

- Releases from Associated Press

Rishi - meaning the 'eaten sun', Chinese word for eclipse