For the first time in over a century, Spain experienced a total solar eclipse, a rare and photogenic event visible across much of Europe. The path of totality began in the Arctic Ocean before traversing the North Atlantic to reach the Iberian Peninsula at 8:30 pm central European summer time.
Regions including Galicia, Asturias, Madrid, Aragon, Catalonia, Valencia and the Balearic Islands saw the sun completely obscured by the moon for just under two minutes. Elsewhere in Spain, a partial eclipse was observed.
The event lasted approximately four and half hours, providing scientists with precious data from various space agencies. NASA deployed a high-altitude research aircraft to study the dynamics of the solar corona, while universities across the US launched scientific balloons to measure atmospheric changes during the eclipse.
While this celestial spectacle has passed, another lunar event will soon captivate observers in North America: a partial lunar eclipse on the horizon. For now, let us marvel at these images of Wednesday’s solar spectacle.
