Make a note in your diary: This is the date when there will be a total solar eclipse on the Costa del Sol

Ignacio Lillo

Malaga

Friday, 11 October 2024, 09:27

The date seems a long way off, but the phenomenon is so impressive that there are already "astronomical tourists" from all over the world who have it marked on their calendars... and their destination will be Malaga. At 10.30am on 2 August 2027, with the sun high in the sky, it will be like night for several minutes. And not only that: "the sun will be completely covered by the disc of the moon. There will be a deathly silence, even the birds will be silent. A breeze will rise, the temperature will drop to 8-10C, it will be experienced by all the senses...".

This is how Alberto J. Castro-Tirado, astrophysicist, researcher at the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalucía and scientific director of the future planetarium of Malaga describes it, for whom this is "the most impressive natural experience that can be seen, above the northern lights". And the people of Malaga province and the Costa del Sol will be the main beneficiaries of this planetary lottery, as this will be the only city in Spain where it will be seen. However, it will have taken no less than 157 years since it was last seen here, on 22 December 1870.

The maximum duration will be reached in the middle of the Alboran Sea off the coast of Malaga, where it will last for four and a half minutes. At the planetarium in the city, which is expected to be open by then, it will last one and a half minutes. It will also be visible from Cadiz, Tarifa and Ceuta (the strip is only 200 kilometres wide).

Although it is still almost three years away, the news is spreading in the world's astronomy enthusiasts' forums, who are already preparing trips and have booked accommodation for those dates, especially in southern Spain where it will be most visible.

The last one occurred on 8 April in a narrow strip in the Pacific, from Mexico to the USA and the coast of Canada. "There are millions of people from all countries who will come to see it, in the United States it was crazy: there was no accommodation, people slept in tents...", said the scientist from Malaga, who warns that, in addition, in the case of Malaga it will coincide with the main holiday month, and the sky is expected to be clear, "unless there is mist".

Worldwide there is a whole movement of astronomy enthusiasts who go from country to country following the total eclipses. Castro-Tirado therefore highlights the tourist options that will be available. "A year before, there will already be bookings, from January 2026 it will start to move, the demand is brutal and people are paying up to a thousand euros per night. And there will be boats and cruise ships going to the Alboran Sea, which is where it will be best to see, halfway between Malaga and Melilla".

Blanca Troughton is a mathematician, astronomical populariser, board member of the Malaga astronomy society, advisor to the federation of astronomical associations of Spain and painter. The scientist has travelled all over the world to experience total eclipses, five of which she has witnessed in her lifetime. The last one was last April in Texas, but she has also seen them in Wyoming, Turkey, Hungary and Mexico. "There is a worldwide community that moves around looking for total eclipses, you meet the same colleagues in the far corners of the world."

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The phenomenon begins slowly and lasts for an hour: "You should always observe the sun with special approved glasses and telescopes with filters, because it is very dangerous to do so directly," explains the expert. A few moments before the Moon covers the surface of the Sun there is "a very special effect in the atmosphere: the temperature drops, the light changes to a different hue, which I call silver light because it is reminiscent of something metallic. And you notice the breeze that rises because of the sudden change in temperature". In addition, each animal reacts in a different way. "You notice something special in the atmosphere."

Then, just before the moment of total eclipse, Baily's Pearls can be seen, "like small pockets of light due to the Moon's surface, which has mountains, and these rays of light are like spotlights". Another spectacular phenomenon is the "diamond ring", which is formed when the remaining sunlight forms a ring: "The moment of totality is magical, you see the solar corona, which suddenly explodes; and you see the moon when it covers the sun and it's the blackest black anyone has ever seen. "The people around you are jumping for joy, screaming and hugging each other with excitement, the moment is worth sharing. You feel like you're floating, it connects you with the universe, no one can miss that special feeling."

Troughton warns of what is to come in Malaga: "We have to start preparing for it now because millions of people are going to come to see it and there is a risk of accommodation and road traffic collapsing in the middle of August".