The moon will slowly and completely cover the face of the sun, enveloping the sky in darkness this week during a brief total solar eclipse.
The celestial spectacle, which NASA says happens about once a year on Earth, will begin on Wednesday in parts of Southeast Asia and will cross the international date line to end Tuesday local time, the New York Times reports. Indonesia, Borneo and Sulawesi will experience a blackout at some point from 7 to 11 a.m. local time, according to the newspaper.
NASA has sent a team of scientists to Indonesia, where researchers will document the total solar eclipse for an experiment aimed at measuring a certain kind of light scattered by electrons in the lower corona. The area can only be observed during total solar eclipses, the space agency said.
The period of total eclipse, called totality, will occur at 7:37 p.m. EST and last for about two minutes, according to Slooh, a space broadcasting website. Another eclipse will be visible across the U.S. in August 2017.
See Stunning Photos of a Solar Eclipse
![INDONESIA-ASTRONOMY-ECLIPSE A total solar eclipse is seen from the city of Ternate, in Indonesia's Maluku Islands, on March 9, 2016.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/solar-eclipse-moon-sky-photos-01.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![Solar Eclipse in Nepal A partial solar eclipse is seen from Kathmandu, Nepal on March 9.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/solar-eclipse-02.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![INDONESIA-BELITUNG-SOLAR ECLIPSE A total solar eclipse is visible from Belitung. Indonesia on March 9.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/solar-eclipse-01.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![Solar eclipse in Jakarta Indonesian residents wear eclipse glasses to watch a solar eclipse outside a planetarium in Jakarta, on March 9.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/solar-eclipse-moon-sky-photos-04.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![Partial solar eclipse in Jakarta A partial solar eclipse is seen from Jakarta, Indonesia, on March 9, 2016.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/solar-eclipse-moon-sky-photos-03.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![PHILIPPINES-ASTRONOMY-ECLIPSE The moon passes in front of the sun during a partial solar eclipse seem from Manila on March 9, 2016.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/solar-eclipse-moon-sky-photos-02.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![MYANMAR-SOLAR-ECLIPSE-ASTRONOMY The moon passes in front of the sun during a partial solar eclipse seen from Naypyidaw on March 9.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/solar-eclipse-moon-sky-photos-05.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![INDONESIA-ASTRONOMY-ECLIPSE Acehnese men watch the total solar eclipse in Banda Aceh on March 9.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/solar-eclipse-moon-sky-photos-06.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
TIME will host a livestream of the event on this page provided by Slooh, which will feature solar experts, including Professor Lucie Green and Slooh astronomer Bob Berman. Skygazers can also follow along live with NASA.
Slooh is a TIME partner. You can go to Slooh.com to join and watch this live broadcast, snap and share your own photos during the event, chat with audience members and interact with the hosts, and personally control Slooh’s telescopes.
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