Spain sees first total solar eclipse in over a century
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- A total solar eclipse on 12 August cast its shadow across Siberia, the Arctic, Greenland, Iceland and northern Spain, the first total solar eclipse visible from Earth since early 2024.
- Spain was the most populous region in the path of totality, with the eclipse crossing diagonally from the northern Atlantic coast to the Mediterranean Sea in the late afternoon.
- Photographs captured the eclipse from Berlanga de Duero (240 km northeast of Madrid), the Galactica astronomy centre in Teruel, San Millán de los Caballeros, Mallorca, Ibiza and Arija, including composites showing the full progression from partial to total and back.
- While much of Spain saw totality, observers in Ireland, the UK, France, Italy and parts of northern Africa witnessed a partial eclipse of around 90%.
- The eclipse was the first total solar eclipse visible from Spain in over a century, with totality lasting around a minute, as seen from Mallorca.
- Spain will see another total eclipse on 2 August next year, along with Morocco, Algeria, Libya and Saudi Arabia — a rare back-to-back occurrence for the region.
Why it matters: Spain just saw its first total solar eclipse in over a century, and totality lasted barely a minute — yet the country is already confirmed to be on the path of another total eclipse on 2 August next year. That back-to-back distinction gives astronomers, eclipse chasers and Spain's tourism sector two consecutive opportunities that most regions wait centuries for.
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