Joint Kuwaiti-Spanish Team Documents the Eclipse of the Century in Spain
Madrid, Aug 12 (KUNA) -- A joint Kuwaiti-Spanish monitoring and documentation team observed the total solar eclipse in Spain today, Wednesday, as part of a scientific and media mission to record this historic moment using the latest optical and astronomical technologies.
Khaled Al-Jam’an, the team leader and the International Astronomical Union’s representative in Kuwait, told KUNA in a special interview that the world’s gaze turned toward the Spanish skies this evening, as the country witnessed its first total solar eclipse in Europe since 1999. This rare astronomical phenomenon turned day into night for more than a minute and a half in some areas.
Al-Jam’an added that the team comprises a select group of astronomers and astrophotographers from Kuwait and Spain, equipped with advanced telescopes, high-resolution cameras, and solar corona imaging technologies. He noted that the mission’s objectives revolve around three main pillars: scientific observation and study of the solar corona (the sun’s outer atmosphere) and instantaneous thermal changes; documentary photography to produce a high-definition Arab-European visual archive of the phenomenon; and direct public awareness, including a live broadcast of the eclipse in Arabic and Spanish.
He explained that the joint Kuwaiti-Spanish team was stationed on a mountain peak at an altitude of 1,200 meters in the town of Madarielo, in the Guadarrama mountain range in Segovia province, Castile and Leon region, northeast of Madrid. The site was selected following a study by Spanish team members, as the high altitude ensures atmospheric clarity and the absence of light pollution.
Al-Jam’an stated that northern Spain offers the highest percentage of clear skies in Europe during August, making areas such as Madrid, Zaragoza, Valencia, and Ibiza among the best observation points in the world for this event. He noted that Spain has become a primary global destination for this phenomenon, with record-breaking bookings for flights and hotels in the north. He considered astronomical phenomena to be a tourism driver no less significant than festivals and sporting events.
He pointed out that Spanish authorities designated 660 official viewing sites, complete with camping areas and services, amid warnings about fire risks during the peak of summer. The Kuwaiti-Spanish team proposed a new term for this type of tourism: “astronomical-cultural tourism.” Al-Jam’an argued that this term goes beyond the traditional concept of “astronomical tourism” to reflect the intersection of science, culture, and place.
“The tourist does not come merely to look at the sky, but to live the experience from the heart of the mountain, learn about the history of Arab and Islamic astronomy—much of which originated in Al-Andalus—and meet with scientists and photographers to document a rare cosmic moment,” he said. He added that today’s eclipse is “not just the moon blocking the sun’s disk, but a reminder of the grandeur of the universe and a golden opportunity for scientific and cultural exchange among specialists.”
For her part, Secretary-General of the UN Tourism organization, Shereen Noureldine, told KUNA in a special statement that the total solar eclipse in Spain this evening is “a unique and special event,” highlighting it as an exceptional tourism opportunity that combines science, nature, and culture, and helps direct tourism to new regions. Noureldine emphasized that the event’s significance also lies in its ability to transform a temporary astronomical phenomenon into a long-term tourism legacy, encouraging experience-based, scientific, and sustainable tourism.
Meanwhile, Diego Lopez Calvin, a specialist in tracking the sun’s path, told KUNA in a similar statement that, according to data, the path of the total eclipse began in Russia and Greenland, crossed Iceland and the Atlantic Ocean, and traced a route covering more than 40 percent of Spanish territory. He clarified that the maximum duration of totality in Spain reached one minute and 41 seconds, noting that this phenomenon coincides with the peak of the annual Perseid meteor shower, thereby doubling its scientific value. He confirmed that the team will conduct further sky observations in the region.
The 2026 eclipse holds historical significance for Spain, as it will be the first total solar eclipse visible from the Iberian Peninsula since April 1912. The last total eclipse visible from Spanish mainland territory occurred in 1959 but was limited to the Canary Islands, meaning mainland Spain has been awaiting this phenomenon for more than 114 years. (End) H.N.D./R.J.
