Spain is bracing for its first total solar eclipse in more than a century, with officials estimating that up to 6 million people could flock to the eclipse path on Wednesday. The path stretches about 200km from A Coruña in the northwest to the Mediterranean island of Mallorca.
Excitement builds as eclipse chasers converge
Eclipse chasers, tourists, and astronomers are searching for the clearest skies to witness the two minutes of totality. Online forums are abuzz with debates over potential cloud cover and tips on the best viewing points.
“It’s going to be spectacular,” said César González, an astronomer and science communicator at the Madrid Planetarium. “A total solar eclipse is one of the best spectacles in nature.”
Spain offers best views in mainland Europe
González planned to drive north towards Burgos, planning to stay in the first isolated field where he could see the horizon and the sky is clear. “There are no words to describe it to another person who has never felt or seen a total solar eclipse,” he said.
Spain is poised to experience some of the best views in mainland Europe, said González. “The band of affected land [to watch the totality] is very small,” he said. “It will also be seen in parts of Greenland and Iceland, where the visibility conditions due to the weather are much worse. So the only country in the whole world where it is possible to contemplate the total eclipse in good conditions is Spain.”
Tourists travel from afar for the spectacle
An estimated 460,000 people have travelled to the country for the event, with hotels reporting bookings made months in advance from as far afield as Japan and the US. More than 300,000 are expected to head to rural towns and villages to find the best spot.
Angela Jones Rieksts from Halifax, Canada, was making her way to Burgos with her 21-year-old daughter. Her first total solar eclipse was two years ago in Miramichi, Canada. “I was just absolutely awestruck,” she said. “It felt almost like God’s eye was staring back at me from heaven.”
Preparations and safety measures
Most opticians and pharmacies reported being sold out of solar eclipse glasses, while Spanish airline Iberia said it would share live images from a charter flight at 10,000 metres. Madrid’s Prado Museum published a video using AI to reimagine how the eclipse would transform the light of its masterpieces.
Officials have prepared for up to 1.5 million additional car journeys, with weather alerts forecasting temperatures up to 40C and a high risk of wildfires. More than 24,000 police officers are to be deployed.
For France’s Stéphanie Racco, the journey had been months in the making. She set off from the Côte d’Azur with her eight-year-old twins to Salou, south of Barcelona. “I read the news around December,” she said. “I said, ‘OK, I have to go’.”
She was ready to drive “for a few hours into the countryside” if needed. If all else failed, she had a backup plan. “I just saw that next year, there will be one in Egypt,” she said. “So maybe if I miss this one, I’ll try again next year.”
