Overview
- A total solar eclipse will cross a narrow path of totality across much of Spain on August 12, with the best viewing corridor running from Galicia to Castellón and including the Balearic Islands.
- Spanish astronaut Pedro Duque says observers should expect dimmed light, faded colors, a noticeable drop in temperature and odd animal behavior as the Moon covers the Sun.
- Duque and other experts stress that certified eclipse glasses must stay on until the moment of totality, which will last less than two minutes at sites on the path.
- The Sturgeon Moon will reach full around August 28 and will coincide with a large partial lunar eclipse the night of August 27–28 that will be visible across the Americas, including Mexico, and requires no eye protection.
- The solar event is rare for Spain — authorities note the last similar eclipse was about a century ago — and scientists add that the Moon’s slow recession means total solar eclipses will disappear on geologic timescales while another total solar path will cross Cádiz and Málaga next year.