Watch the March 8, 9 total solar eclipse
The only total solar eclipse of 2016 took place Tuesday night -- and unless you live in or near Indonesia, you didn't have much of a chance of seeing it -- except on AOL.com.
The moon's shadow swept across the Earth on Wednesday morning, visible mostly from the Eastern Hemisphere.
SEE ALSO: What ancient civilizations thought of solar eclipses
AOL streamed the eclipse live from the beach in Balikpapan, Indonesia.
CHECK OUT: Photos from Tuesday's eclipse
Solar eclipses occur when the sun, moon and Earth align so that the moon blocks the light of the sun from part of the Earth, creating an eerie night-life experience in broad daylight for those who can see the full shadow. For the few minutes of totality, only the sun's corona is visible, creating what's often called a "ring of fire."
Click through to see stunning photos of past eclipses:
While we understand the science behind the rare experience today, and know how to predict when and where it will occur, in ancient times an eclipse was sometimes seen as a message from the heavens.
Learn more about the eclipse:
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