Millions flock to viewing points as Spain witnesses first total solar eclipse in more than a century

Crowds gathered at hundreds of official viewing points in towns and cities along the eclipse’s path, while large numbers of visitors travelled to northern Spain in particular to secure some of the best vantage points.

The astronomical event began during the early evening, with the partial phase visible from around 7.30pm. Totality reached parts of Spain shortly after 8.26pm, as the Moon completely obscured the Sun and sections of the country were temporarily plunged into darkness shortly before sunset.

The band of totality covered around 40% of Spanish territory and passed through as many as 23 provincial capitals.

As the light gradually faded and then rapidly disappeared, crowds at viewing locations across the country fell silent before erupting into applause and cheers when totality arrived.

In Galicia, tens of thousands of people headed towards the Ferrol coast in search of an unobstructed view. ABC newspaper described the anticipation there by reporting: ‘Silence began to take over the esplanade and the atmosphere was cut with a knife.’

Around 1,000 people also gathered at Arcos de las Salinas, in the Teruel province (Aragón), where astronomers from the Galáctica astronomy outreach centre guided spectators through the event.

The eclipse was visible along a broad corridor stretching through Greenland and Iceland before reaching mainland Europe in Portugal and Spain. Totality lasted for less than two-and-a-half minutes at its longest point, off Iceland’s western coast, but had shortened considerably by the time the eclipse reached the Iberian Peninsula.

In much of Spain, spectators experienced around a minute of complete darkness before the eclipse continued eastwards and eventually ended over the Mediterranean.

The Balearic Islands were among the final Spanish locations to experience the phenomenon. 

Authorities had spent months preparing for what was expected to become one of Spain’s biggest mass public events of the summer.

At least half a million additional visitors were expected to travel because of the eclipse, with demand for accommodation soaring in areas along the path of totality, particularly around cities including A Coruña, Santiago de Compostela and Bilbao.

Around 350 official observation sites were established, many of them in Spain’s less densely populated interior, while more than 33,500 police and other law enforcement officers were deployed around viewing locations and key access routes.

The huge movement of people also caused significant traffic congestion, with delays reported on a number of roads as spectators travelled towards observatories and other popular viewing areas.

Speaking from the Yebes Observatory in Guadalajara during the event, Spain’s Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said the operation was ‘proceeding reasonably, without major mismatches’, although he acknowledged there had been ‘small incidents’.

One of the most serious occurred in Altafulla, Tarragona (Catalonia), at around 8.20pm, when a person watching the eclipse reportedly fell from the roof of a train and had to be taken to hospital.

By Wednesday evening, 37 people had received assistance from Catalonia’s Medical Emergency System (SEM) following incidents connected with watching the eclipse, according to ABC.

Public safety had been a particular concern because the event coincided with extremely high temperatures and a period of serious wildfire risk across Spain.

Temperatures exceeded 35C in many of the areas where large crowds assembled, while parts of the country remained on high or extreme alert for forest fires following a devastating summer fire season.

The eclipse itself also affected firefighting operations. In the Huelva province (Andalusia), aerial resources tackling the Niebla wildfire had to be withdrawn at 7.30pm because of the loss of daylight, temporarily restricting the amount of time aircraft could operate over the blaze.

Virginia Barcones, Spain’s Director General of Civil Protection, said ahead of totality: ‘We have been preparing for months a large device to minimise the risks associated with viewing this eclipse.’

Officials repeatedly urged people not to stop vehicles on roadsides or park in areas of dry vegetation, while Barcones had stressed: ‘We must ensure that there is no need to lament damages or fires.’

Eye safety was another major focus of the public information campaign.

Looking directly at the Sun during the partial stages of an eclipse can cause serious eye damage, meaning spectators needed certified eclipse glasses fitted with filters capable of blocking harmful solar radiation.

For months, supermarkets, department stores, museums, pharmacies and planetariums had been selling or distributing approved glasses, with some pharmacies reporting that supplies had sold out in the run-up to Wednesday.

The glasses could only safely be removed during the brief period of complete totality, when the Moon entirely covered the Sun.

Wednesday’s eclipse was also the beginning of an extraordinary period for astronomy enthusiasts in Spain, with the country set to experience three major solar eclipses between 2026 and 2028.

And the celestial displays did not end when daylight returned on Wednesday evening. Just hours after the eclipse, the annual Perseid meteor shower was due to reach its peak during the night of 12 August into 13 August.