Large parts of northern and central Spain experienced a total solar eclipse on Wednesday evening. One of those who saw the phenomenon was Peter Linde, chairman of the Swedish Astronomical Society and associate professor of astronomy at Lund University.
He was in the village of Valdevimbre in the Castile and León region in the north-west of the country, along with around 200 spectators.
I think everyone was surprised. You are surprised by seeing a small crescent moon, as it is when it is partial, then all of a sudden it changes. The sun becomes dark around us and above all you see the sun's corona (outermost atmosphere). It is like a surprise phenomenon, he tells TT.
People were captivated
Peter Linde was also in Mexico two years ago and saw a total solar eclipse that lasted four minutes. But many who were there in Valdevimbre had never experienced the phenomenon.
People experienced it very strongly. There were cheers and people got excited. Even I have to admit that it is a very nice experience.
The entire process lasted about two hours, with the total solar eclipse at 8:39 p.m.
Everyone I've talked to thinks it's an experience of a lifetime.
High visitor pressure
Large crowds also gathered in other places in northern and central Spain to watch the moon eclipse the sun.
Authorities estimated up to half a million visitors in the affected areas, AP reports. Pressure has also been high on hotel rooms, including in the cities of A Coruña, Bilbao and Santiago de Compostela.
The total solar eclipse could also be seen in eastern Greenland, western Iceland and the north-western corner of Portugal, while most of Europe had a partial eclipse, according to the European Space Agency ESA.
Already next year
The next opportunity to see a total solar eclipse is on August 2 next year, when it can be seen in Spain, North Africa and the Middle East, according to ESA.
Peter Linde has not decided whether he will watch this one as well.
Is that something you're thinking about?
It's hard not to do it after seeing this. As I said, it's a fantastic nature experience, so we'll see, says Peter Linde.
