Wide swathes of Spain are poised to experience a total solar eclipse today, the country's first in more than a century. Officials have estimated that as many as 6 million people could gather along the eclipse path, which extends about 200km from A Coruña in Spain’s northwest to the Mediterranean island of Mallorca.
Astronomer César González of the Madrid Planetarium stated that Spain is expected to offer some of the best views in mainland Europe. While parts of Greenland and Iceland will also experience the rare total eclipse, Spain is considered the only country where it is possible to view the event in good conditions due to weather.
An estimated 460,000 individuals have travelled to Spain to witness the celestial event, with hotels reporting advance bookings from countries including Japan and the US. More than 300,000 of these travellers are anticipated to head to rural towns and villages in search of optimal viewing spots for the less than two minutes of totality.
Spanish officials have prepared for the event, anticipating up to 1.5 million additional car journeys. More than 24,000 police officers are being deployed, as weather alerts forecast temperatures reaching up to 40C and a high risk of wildfires.