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Day briefly turned to night in Spain on Wednesday, as the country witnessed its first total solar eclipse in more than a century, plunging it into eerie darkness in one of nature’s greatest spectacles.

The spectral glow of the Sun’s outer corona, shimmering out of the edges of the shadowy Moon, drew gasps and cheers from huge crowds, just 90 minutes after it first appeared in the remote Arctic region of northern Russia.

“This is crazy!” said one woman in Tarragona, on Spain’s Mediterranean coast, as the crowd beside her applauded enthusiastically.

The eclipse, a first in mainland Europe since 2006, also cast its shadow through parts of Greenland, racing south to smother Keflavík, some 50 kilometres from Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik, before arcing across the Atlantic Ocean towards northern Spain.

In Spain, the lunar shadow moved diagonally in a narrow path from the northern coast to the Balearic Islands, where tourists and locals gathered to watch on the beach, many dressed in swimming costumes accessorised with protective glasses.

“Spectacular, very beautiful, truly a unique moment,” said Rosa Maria Zamora, 72, who came to watch the eclipse in Colmenar Viejo, around 30 kilometres north of Madrid.

Supplies of special viewing glasses were in high demand, with huge crowds turning out to watch a partial eclipse across Europe, with the event also visible in Canada, the northern United States and northwest Africa.

A partial eclipse began in parts of northern Spain shortly after 1930 CET, prompting gasps from waiting crowds and applause from South Korean tourists in a field in Lodoso, near the northern city of Burgos.

“How wonderful!” said one woman in the crowd in Colmenar Viejo.

On the summit of the Pic du Midi, in the French Pyrenees, heavy clouds parted minutes beforehand, allowing visitors to see the spectacle, which also drew crowds in London, Paris and across the continent.

Disappointing view in Iceland

Earlier on Wednesday, a total eclipse plunged western Iceland into complete darkness, though heavy cloud cover and rain blocked the sight of the sun disappearing behind the moon.

Total darkness swept over Keflavík, some 50 kilometres southwest of the capital Reykjavik, at 5:47 pm local time, according reporters at the scene.

It was the first time the rare phenomenon was visible in Iceland’s capital Reykjavik since 1433 and attracted thousands of tourists and locals across the country.

Astronomer and popular scientist Saevar Helgi Bragason was among the most eager spectators.

He said he had been “waiting for this day for more than 10 years” after a partial solar eclipse over Iceland on 20 March 2015.

Speaking to the AFP news agency just before the event, he said he was filled with “excitement and heartbreak” because of the unfavourable weather forecast which predicted that clouds would obscure the view of the moon blocking out the sun.

“It’s almost like I’ve lost someone.”

The total eclipse lasted the longest over the cliffs of Latrabjarg in the westernmost part of Iceland, about 2 minutes and 13 seconds, while further south in the centre of Reykjavik it lasted for just over one minute.

Hotels in Reykjavik and the rest of Iceland were fully booked, with one hotel in the western village of Breidavik receiving its first booking for the event 14 years ago, according to national broadcaster RUV.

A fleeting event

Throughout human history, eclipses have stirred amazement, fear and reverence, as they appear to momentarily halt the normal course of nature.

The shadow or “umbra” cast by the alignment of Sun and Moon creates a strange twilight during which temperatures drop, shadows appear at strange angles and some animals go to sleep.

But the phenomenon is generally fleeting: in parts of Russia and Greenland, the total eclipse lasted under two-and-a-half minutes.

The partial eclipse, which occurs as the Moon starts and finishes crossing the Sun’s path, dimming its light, was expected to last around one hour and 45 minutes.

The event, which was livestreamed by both NASA and the European Space Agency, presented scientists with a rare opportunity to study the Sun’s atmosphere and its outermost layer, as they seek to uncover secrets about solar winds and our star’s magnetic field.