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The Best Photos of the Big August Solar Eclipse
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- DeepHorus
Spain experienced its first total solar eclipse in more than a century on Wednesday. The rare event was also partially visible across northern North America, much of Europe, and western Africa. Because the sun hovered just above the horizon, the eclipse offered an unusually photogenic spectacle.
The path of totality crossed the northern hemisphere from the Arctic Ocean to Spain. The moon's shadow reached the Iberian Peninsula at exactly 8:30 pm central European summer time. Regions such as Galicia, Asturias, Madrid, Catalonia, and the Balearic Islands lay in the path of totality.
The eclipse lasted about four and a half hours, with full darkness enduring for under two minutes. This brief window allowed space agencies to conduct experiments. One notable NASA mission tracked the moon's shadow using a WB-57 aircraft flying at 50,000 feet.
NASA scientists aimed to gather data on the solar corona, the sun's outermost atmosphere, which is only visible during total eclipses. Separately, NASA brought US university students to Iceland and Spain to launch scientific balloons. These balloons measured how the temporary darkness affected Earth's atmosphere.
The students' data will help scientists understand the environmental impact of eclipses. The findings could improve models of atmospheric responses to sudden changes in sunlight. This research adds to a long history of eclipse-based scientific discovery.
Later this month, a partial lunar eclipse will be visible across the Americas, offering new research opportunities. For now, images from Wednesday's solar spectacle continue to circulate widely. The event served as a powerful reminder of the cosmos' dynamic nature.
