Spain gears up for August total solar eclipse / Photo: GEORGE FREY - GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP
-
Brazil markets battered, tech in focus elsewhere
-
Microsoft offers voluntary exit packages to 60,000 staff
-
French court adjourns trial over 2020 death of delivery driver
-
S.Africa ambassador calls for talks with US over 'tense' ties
-
Serbian student movement eyes power after election triumph
-
'Smells of freedom': Serbians hopeful after landmark election
-
Machado ready to meet Venezuela leader after shock return
-
South Africa select 'enforcer' Coetzee for Australia decider
-
Lula celebrates election win as Brazil markets tumble
-
Botanists comb Gabon's rich rainforests with nature on the line
-
France's Macron accuses social media of sowing discord ahead of election
-
New levy on non-EU parcels kicks in Sunday
-
Anthropic unveils IPO filing showing soaring sales and AI risks
-
Stocks climb ahead of tech earnings, central bank calls
-
US singer Chris Brown avoids jail over London nightclub brawl
-
Part of London's Oxford Street pedestrianised 'forever'
-
US singer Chris Brown avoids jail over UK nightclub brawl
-
Canadian youth seek climate action in landmark trial
-
Man Utd crisis deepens as Carrick faces axe
-
Trump blasts Norway over Nobel Peace Prize snub
-
Serbian student movement eyes power after resounding snap poll victory
-
Japan PM vows swift response to wave of cyberattacks
-
Eala breezes past world number 411 in Tokyo opener
-
Stocks mostly rise before tech earnings, central bank calls
-
Swedish Centre Party leader says government coalition talks failed
-
France's Macron to visit Marseille after protest violence
-
Barca's big-game defeats pose familiar questions
-
German union slams Audi boss's appearance at Trump rally
-
Russia says open to mini Ukraine ceasefires, but no let up in war
-
UK set for 'limited' budget giveaways as borrowing costs surge
-
Bangladesh measles crisis 'warning sign' of other outbreaks: report
-
Anthropic's AI model accessed US voter data: Axios
-
'Historic victory': World leaders celebrate Lula's re-election
-
Malaysia's Johor reopens schools as haze eases
-
Stock markets mixed ahead of tech earnings, central bank decisions
-
Carragher says Fernandes benching was intended as public punishment
-
Mother renews anti-bullying appeal a decade after son’s death
-
Canada-EU summit seeks deepened alliance as US ties fray
-
'Historic victory': Leftist leaders in the Americas celebrate Lula's re-election
-
Senegal to host Youth Games, Africa's first ever Olympics
-
African players in Europe: Jackson brace ends City's perfect record
-
ITV drama Adultery examines temptation, class and family consequences
-
Argentine police arrest stepfather after pregnant 10-year-old reaches hospital
-
New levy on non-EU parcels kicks in November 1
-
Mother dies after rescuing sons from riptide in the Bahamas
-
Saudi coalition says struck Houthi missile facilities after Riyadh airport attack
-
James Blunt reportedly sought extra underwear during Celebrity Traitors filming
-
Manchester United stand-in captain calls for change after Bournemouth loss
-
Trump says Canada trade deal coming 'soon'
-
Body recovered after ferry passenger reported overboard
Spain gears up for August total solar eclipse
Spain, one of the few places in the world where a total solar eclipse will be visible in August, has begun preparations for an event it hopes will shift tourism away from the beaches and toward the countryside.
Aside from Spain, the next total solar eclipse will also be visible in Greenland, Iceland, Russia and a small portion of Portugal, with a partial eclipse in other parts of Europe and western Africa.
The Spanish government said in a statement on Thursday that the Iberian Peninsula "will be the only populated place in the world where the total solar eclipse of Aug. 12 can be fully enjoyed, the first of its kind visible in our country in more than 100 years".
At its peak, when the moon completely covers the sun, darkening the sky in the middle of the day, the eclipse will last just over two minutes in Spain.
The government said Thursday it has selected the Yebes Observatory in the central province of Guadalajara -- a key node in global radio astronomy networks -- as the official monitoring centre for the eclipse.
It will be the first of three major eclipses Spain will experience between 2026 and 2028.
On August 2, 2027, a second total solar eclipse with an unusually long duration of six minutes will cross southern Spain, while an annular eclipse -- in which the moon does not fully cover the sun, leaving a bright ring -- is expected in January 2028.
Accommodation prices have already surged in areas where the total solar eclipse will be visible but which are not typically popular summer tourism destinations.
A search for lodging on Thursday in the northeastern city of Teruel for the night of August 12 showed prices ranging from about 300 euros ($351) for a modest hostel to 1,400 euros for a privately rented apartment.
In Burgos, no accommodation was available for less than 600 euros, while a 60-square-metre (645-square-foot) apartment was listed at 5,000 euros.
Teruel's tourism office has promoted the city as an ideal location to observe the eclipse, citing its open landscapes, clear skies and low levels of light pollution.
L.Davis--AMWN
