People gather to witness a rare total solar eclipse in Teruel, Spain, on August 13, 2026. — Reuters
Burgos, Spain: The day briefly turned into nighttime as Spain experienced its first total solar eclipse in over a hundred years, casting an ominous darkness that captivated spectators with one of nature’s most awe-inspiring displays.
The glowing outline of the Sun’s outer corona, shimmering from the edges of the shadowed Moon, elicited gasps and cheers from large crowds, just 90 minutes after the phenomenon first appeared in the remote Arctic region of northern Russia.
“I never imagined I’d see something like this,” said Isabel Troyano, a 56-year-old homemaker, who watched with her son in Tarragona, along Spain’s Mediterranean coast.
“I got goosebumps,” she shared with AFP.
Alejandro Cuesta, a 30-year-old nanoscience researcher, described it as “incredible… I almost started crying. I felt chills all over my body,” he said.
“It was magnificent, the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”
This eclipse — the first in mainland Europe since 2006 — left its shadow across parts of Greenland before racing south to cover Keflavik, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) from Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik, then arched across the Atlantic toward northern Spain.
Reykjavik hadn’t seen a total eclipse since 1433, with the next not expected until 2196.
In Spain, the lunar shadow moved diagonally in a narrow band from the northern coast to the Balearic Islands, where locals and visitors, many dressed in swimwear and protective glasses, gathered on beaches to watch.
High demand for special viewing glasses was evident, as a partial eclipse was visible across Europe, Canada, northern US states, and northwest Africa.
From the summit of Pic du Midi in the French Pyrenees, clouds parted just in time for visitors to witness the spectacle, which also drew crowds in London, Paris, and throughout the continent.
### Fleeting Moments
Throughout history, eclipses have sparked awe, fear, and reverence, as they momentarily disrupt the natural order.
The shadow, or “umbra,” cast by the alignment of the Sun and Moon, creates a strange twilight where temperatures drop, shadows fall at odd angles, and some animals go silent.
But these events are brief, lasting only minutes, with the lunar shadow moving across Earth at roughly 3,430 kilometers (2,130 miles) per hour, according to the Paris Observatory.
The partial phase, where the Moon begins and ends crossing the Sun’s disk, dimming its light, lasted about an hour and 45 minutes.
Livestreamed by NASA and the European Space Agency, the eclipse provided scientists a rare chance to study the Sun’s outer atmosphere and its magnetic field, seeking insights into solar winds and other solar phenomena.
### Weather Conditions
In northwest Iceland’s Westfjords region, there were concerns that rain might spoil the view.
However, tens of thousands of visitors and locals were rewarded as the country — known for volcanoes, lava fields, glaciers, and the Northern Lights — went dark during the eclipse.
Glenn Rosa, a 44-year-old retail manager from Houston, Texas, admitted to shedding “a tear or two” as the darkness passed over Keflavik and its lighthouse.
“It was an incredible experience,” he said.
Similarly, Mylisha Lanegan, a 34-year-old teacher from Washington state, called the event “almost indescribable.”
Clear skies in Spain enhanced visibility, although high temperatures and wildfire risks persisted.
The eclipse fever was rampant throughout Spain, with government estimates suggesting that nearly 450,000 additional tourists could provide a €347 million ($400 million) boost to the economy.
Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska stated that nearly 25,000 police officers had been deployed to ensure safety and smooth proceedings.
“The path of totality is very narrow, only a few hundred kilometers wide,” British astrophysicist and science communicator Graham Jones explained to AFP on Tuesday from northern Spain.
“Spain is particularly fortunate because the totality path crosses right over the peninsula.”
Looking ahead, another total eclipse will pass through southern Spain and northern Africa in August 2027, with a subsequent annular eclipse — when the Moon appears too small to completely cover the Sun, creating a “ring of fire” — scheduled for the Iberian Peninsula in 2028.