{
  "id": 711246,
  "title": "The Best Photos of the Big August Solar Eclipse",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/12/the-best-photos-of-the-big-august-solar-eclipse-711246",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-08-12T22:47:30.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Wired Science",
    "slug": "wired-science",
    "url": "https://www.wired.com/story/best-photos-august-solar-eclipse-spain/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The path of totality for the big August solar eclipse traversed the northern hemisphere, starting in the Arctic Ocean north of Greenland, then west of Iceland, and crossing the North Atlantic. At precisely 8:30 pm Central European Summer Time, the moon's shadow reached the Iberian Peninsula. Regions including Galicia, Asturias, Castile and León, Madrid, Aragon, Catalonia, the Valencian Community, and the Balearic Islands witnessed the total eclipse, while the remaining country experienced a partial one. The event spanned approximately four and a half hours, with the sky darkening for just under two minutes, providing scientists with a rare opportunity to conduct experiments along the path of totality.\n\nOne remarkable project involved a NASA mission utilizing a high-altitude research aircraft, the WB-57, flying at an altitude of 50,000 feet. The objective was to monitor the moon's shadow and gather new data on the dynamics of the solar corona—the sun's outermost atmosphere. Such detailed studies are only feasible during total eclipses. To facilitate this endeavor, NASA brought together students from various US universities to Iceland and Spain. Their mission included launching scientific balloons before, during, and after the event to examine how the temporary darkening of the sky influenced Earth's atmosphere. This research aims to deepen our understanding of the atmospheric effects triggered by such astronomical phenomena.\n\nLater this month, a partial lunar eclipse will be visible across the Americas, presenting fresh opportunities for astronomical research. Meanwhile, the images captured during Wednesday's solar spectacle continue to be a topic of fascination. Originally published on WIRED en Español, this account has been translated from Spanish.",
  "summary": "It’s been a century since the Iberian Peninsula has been in the full shadow of the moon. Here’s what it looked like in the path of totality.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Wired",
        "title": "The Best Photos of the Big August Solar Eclipse",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/12/the-best-photos-of-the-big-august-solar-eclipse",
        "published": "2026-08-12T22:47:30.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}