Spain braces for rare total solar eclipse
Parts of northern Spain are set to experience a rare total solar eclipse within hours, as the Moon briefly blocks out the Sun and turns day into night. Millions across Europe, Canada, the northern US and northwest Africa will witness a partial eclipse.
A rare total solar eclipse is due to sweep across parts of northern Spain in the coming hours, with the Moon fully blocking the Sun and plunging the area into a brief darkness in the middle of the day. While the total eclipse will only be visible along a narrow path in northern Spain, a much wider audience stretching across Europe, Canada, the northern United States and northwest Africa will be able to see a partial eclipse, where the Moon covers only part of the Sun's disc.
More than just a spectacle
Beyond the dramatic visual effect, eclipses hold real value for science. When the Moon blocks the Sun's bright light, it becomes possible to observe the Sun's outer atmosphere, or corona, which is normally too faint to see. Such rare windows give researchers valuable data to deepen understanding of the Sun and the wider universe.
On the ground in Segovia
France 24 correspondent Sarah Morris is reporting from Segovia, one of the Spanish locations within the eclipse's path, where locals and visitors are gathering to witness the event. Total solar eclipses over a specific location are infrequent, occurring only once every few decades, which explains the excitement surrounding this occasion.
