Millions of people across Europe are watching a total solar eclipse this evening (Wednesday), visible from parts of Spain, Iceland, Greenland, and Portugal. A partial eclipse is visible across many other parts of the continent.
This is the first total solar eclipse visible from parts of Europe since 1999. In Spain, the event is particularly unusual: it is the first total solar eclipse visible from the Iberian Peninsula in more than a century.
The path of totality passes through the Arctic region, eastern Greenland, and western Iceland before reaching the Iberian Peninsula. In Spain, it crosses large areas of the northern part of the country before continuing toward the Mediterranean Sea and the Balearic Islands.
Spain has spent recent months preparing for an exceptionally large number of visitors arriving to watch the phenomenon. According to a Reuters report, authorities estimated that as many as six million people would travel to areas along the eclipse path. Iceland also prepared for tens of thousands of additional tourists.
The eclipse is taking place in Spain during the evening hours, when the sun is relatively low above the horizon. Depending on the location, the total phase of the eclipse lasts only a short time. At the point where totality lasts the longest, the sun is completely obscured for approximately two minutes and 18 seconds.
According to Spain’s National Geographic Institute, the path of totality passes through areas near A Coruña, Oviedo, León, Bilbao, Zaragoza, Valencia, and Palma, among others. Because of the sun’s low position at the time of the eclipse, authorities recommended that viewers choose locations with an unobstructed western horizon.
The astronomical event prompted extensive preparations by Spanish authorities, both because of the number of spectators and due to weather conditions and the risk of wildfires.
According to Reuters, hundreds of viewing sites were prepared across the country, while emergency services prepared for heavy crowds in areas along the path of the eclipse. In some locations, events planned around the eclipse were canceled because of concerns about wildfires.
The event also attracted large numbers of tourists from outside Spain. Demand for accommodations and recreational vehicles in areas within the path of totality increased ahead of the event as part of the phenomenon known as “eclipse tourism" - people who travel around the world to witness total solar eclipses.
Significant preparations were also made in Iceland. According to Reuters, as many as 80,000 visitors were expected to arrive in the country around the time of the event, with cloud cover being one of the main factors that could affect the ability to view the eclipse.
A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun. During a total eclipse, the moon completely obscures the sun’s bright disk from the viewer’s perspective.
The moon’s full shadow covers a relatively narrow strip of the Earth’s surface, meaning that only those located within that strip can see the total eclipse. Outside the path of totality, a partial eclipse is visible, in which the moon obscures only part of the sun.
During the minutes in which the sun is completely obscured, the corona - the sun’s outer atmosphere - can be seen. It is normally invisible because of the intense brightness of the sun’s surface.
The event also serves as an opportunity for scientific research. Researchers take advantage of the brief period during which sunlight is blocked to conduct observations of the corona and phenomena related to the Earth’s atmosphere. The European Space Agency and other research organizations prepared to conduct observations during the eclipse.
Astronomical and health organizations once again warned the public not to look directly at the sun during the partial phases of the eclipse without special eclipse-viewing glasses.
Ordinary sunglasses do not provide adequate protection. Looking directly at the sun without appropriate protective equipment can cause eye damage.
The current eclipse is the first in a series of significant astronomical events expected in the region in the coming years. For Spain, where a total solar eclipse has not been visible from the Iberian Peninsula in more than a century, it is one of the most significant astronomical events of recent years.