Spain is gearing up Wednesday for the country's first total solar eclipse in more than a century, with the moon set to completely cover the sun over large parts of the country in the evening.
Beginning just before 8.30 pm local time (1830GMT), sudden darkness will cloak parts of the country, beginning in the northwestern regions of Asturias and Galicia and progressing toward the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean within a matter of minutes.
Those at the center of the moon's shadow will not only experience the rapid onset of darkness but also a temperature drop of around 5C (9F), according to NASA.
If skies are clear, observers will also be able to see the sun's outer atmosphere—the corona—which is otherwise too dim to see against the bright sun.
While the gradual covering and uncovering of the sun by the moon will last nearly two hours, totality over Spain will last less than two minutes.
Parts of Greenland, Iceland, and a small area of Portugal will also experience the total eclipse, while other parts of Spain and Western Europe will see a partial eclipse.
This is the first total solar eclipse visible from central or western Europe since 1999. The last total solar eclipse visible from peninsular Spain was in 1912.
However, those in Spain will not have to wait another century to see one, as the country is at the beginning of a rare trilogy of eclipses.
Next August, southern Spain, including the cities of Cadiz and Malaga, will experience a total eclipse. Then, in January 2028, an annular eclipse-when the moon passes directly between the Earth and the sun but does not completely cover it-will be visible over major cities including Seville, Malaga and Valencia.
