Around 8:33 p.m. local time yesterday, the totality phase of the solar eclipse that millions of astonished people across much of Spain could witness came to an end. This historic event, which had not been experienced in our country for more than a century, produced an early and fleeting twilight and spectacular images as the Moon lay exactly between the Earth and the Sun.
Of course, many well-known faces shared on their social networks the moment they watched the eclipse. Clad in their respective certified eclipse glasses, we have seen actors such as Antonio Banderas or María Adánez, the legendary Queen guitarist and astrophysicist Brian May, or the Spanish astronauts Pablo Álvarez and Sara García.
In royal terms, Felipe VI chose the Son Marroig museum in Deià, in the heart of Mallorca’s Tramuntana mountain range, as the perfect location to observe the solar eclipse. Although the Royal Household has not released images of this private moment, it is believed that the monarch, a keen astronomy enthusiast, shared the experience with his mother, Queen Sofía.
Who turned the occasion into a full photographic report was King Frederik of Denmark, who watched the eclipse from the Round Tower public observatory in Copenhagen. It all happened during the ceremony inaugurating the oldest operating observatory in Europe, built on the initiative of King Christian IV in 1642.
The celebrities and the solar eclipse
“It has been an incredible moment.” That was how Brian May described the experience of seeing the eclipse firsthand from a privileged vantage point: the Javalambre Observatory, located on the Pico de los Buitres (Teruel), at an altitude of 1,957 meters. The British musician and astrophysics PhD admitted that he was completely shocked by the majesty of the diamond ring and the sunset of the solar horn, two of the most spectacular optical phenomena that occur during a total solar eclipse.
Antonio Banderas and Nicole Kimpel, watching the eclipse.
Although the visibility of the eclipse in Málaga was 93%, that did not prevent Antonio Banderas and Nicole Kimpel from enjoying the experience. “Here we are, semi-eclipsed by the eclipse. Nature is the only thing that never bores me, especially human nature,” the actor wrote on his social networks alongside a photo of the two wearing their protective glasses.
Ignacio Hernández Medrano and María Adánez, sad in Iceland.
With more philosophy, another performer like María Adánez took the moment in stride, who was on vacation in Iceland with her partner, Ignacio Hernández Medrano. Although the Nordic country was one of the few places in the world, along with Spain, where the total eclipse could be seen, she shared this amusing image with the following caption: “Not seeing the eclipse in Iceland… cloudy, cloudy.”
Nuria Roca’s eclipse selfie.
From Sonsoles Ónega at the beach; Nuria Roca in the quiet of her country house; Alejandro Sanz on a boat; Laura Escanes from the coast of Ibiza… many well-known faces from culture and show business shared images enjoying the twilight, equipped with their respective certified glasses.
The astronauts and ministers in Yebes
Up to five ministers from Pedro Sánchez’s government watched the eclipse during the institutional event held at the Yebes Observatory (Guadalajara). They were the Minister of Science, Innovation and Universities, Diana Morant; the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska; the Minister of Digital Transformation and Public Administration, Óscar López; and the Minister of Territorial Policy, Ángel Víctor Torres.
Alongside them were two Spanish astronauts: Pablo Álvarez and Sara García. The León-born García compared the eclipse to the moment she saw the “opportunity” to reach space: “These things perhaps happen only once in a lifetime, like this eclipse. You have to seize certain opportunities if they excite you.”
