What to know about total solar eclipse due in August

Northern Spain will experience a rare total solar eclipse on August 12, when the Moon will completely obscure the Sun, plunging the region into temporary night. This celestial event marks the first total solar eclipse visible in mainland Europe since 2006.

Eclipses occur when the Moon aligns directly between the Sun and Earth, casting a shadow on our planet. This phenomenon creates an unusual twilight, lowers temperatures, and can even cause animals to go to sleep. Ancient cultures often interpreted these events as omens, but NASA explains it as a "cosmic coincidence" where the Sun's much larger size is offset by its greater distance from Earth, allowing the Moon to perfectly cover it from certain vantage points.

The path of totality, the narrow band where the Sun is completely hidden, will begin in a remote part of northern Russia. It will then traverse Greenland, Iceland, Spain, and the northeastern tip of Portugal. In Spain, the eclipse's path will stretch from Oviedo in the north to the island of Mallorca. For observers in Spain, the total phase of the eclipse will last just under two minutes, occurring shortly before sunset. For instance, the city of Burgos will experience 1 minute and 48 seconds of totality.

While total solar eclipses are relatively infrequent for any given location, with some areas waiting centuries for a repeat, solar eclipses themselves happen one or two times annually. Partial eclipses, where the Moon only covers a portion of the Sun, will be visible across most of Europe, Canada, the northwestern United States, and northwest Africa, lasting around one hour and 45 minutes. Safety is paramount, and experts strongly advise using specially designed eclipse glasses that meet the ISO 12312-2:2015 standard to prevent serious eye damage.

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Even though the Sun is about 400 times bigger than the Moon, it is also about 400 times farther away.