Times are coming to look up at the sky and observe, one after another, the cascade of astronomical events that begins this Thursday with a total eclipse of the Moon. This phenomenon, visible in much of the world (including Spain), adds to a partial solar eclipse on the 29th and a large number of total eclipses that will occur in the coming years, as reported by Efe.
The possibility of observing, at dusk, up to four planets apparently aligned (Mars, Jupiter, Venus, and Mercury), something completely unusual, adds to this month's total eclipse of the Moon tomorrow; the partial solar eclipse on the 29th; the spring equinox on the 20th; and the daylight saving time change scheduled for the early hours of March 30.
The total eclipse of the Moon will not be the only one to occur this year, as the same astronomical event - which occurs when the Sun, Earth, and Moon align and Earth casts its shadow on the satellite - will be repeated on September 7 and will also be visible from Spain.
Each year between four and seven eclipses occur, including solar and lunar eclipses, according to data from the National Astronomical Observatory (OAN), which has pointed out that they usually occur in pairs, with one happening half a lunar month - the time interval between two identical phases of the Moon - after the other, so each year there are at least two solar and two lunar eclipses.
This Thursday, the first of the lunar eclipses this year can be seen, and in this case, it will be total and visible in much of the world; in Spain, it can be seen - only if the skies are clear - as total in the central and western parts of the Iberian Peninsula, in the Canary Islands, and in the cities of Ceuta and Melilla, between 7:26 and 8:31 hours.
In the eastern third of the peninsula and in the Balearic Islands, the Moon will set before the total eclipse begins, so only the beginning of the partial phase will be visible, and in all cases, the observation of this astronomical phenomenon can be done with the naked eye without any risk and without the need for any special equipment.
The lunar eclipse will be visible in some of its phases throughout Europe, much of Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, and eastern Asia and Oceania, although the observation of the total phase will be restricted to western Europe, western Africa, the entire American continent, and Antarctica, according to data collected at the National Astronomical Observatory.
During this Thursday's eclipse, the Moon will also be tinged with a reddish-orange color for the same reasons that explain why the Earth's sky appears blue or sunsets on Earth appear orange, according to information from NASA, which has pointed out that solar light appears white but actually contains a rainbow of components, and the different colors of light have different physical properties.
NASA's explanations reveal that during a lunar eclipse, the Moon appears red or orange because all the solar light not blocked by Earth filters through a thick portion of Earth's atmosphere on its way to the lunar surface; "it's as if all the sunrises and sunsets in the world were projected onto the Moon," the U.S. agency has explained.
The carousel of astronomical events in March (total lunar eclipse tomorrow and partial solar eclipse on the 29th) will continue throughout the year, as on September 7, a total lunar eclipse will be repeated and visible in much of the world (also in much of Spain), followed by a partial solar eclipse on September 21, although this one will not be visible from Spain.
The National Astronomical Observatory has noted that it is common to observe a partial solar eclipse from the same location approximately every two years, but not as much total eclipses (when the Moon completely blocks the view of the star) or annular eclipses (the Moon is at a point in its orbit far from Earth and its shadow does not cover the entire Sun but leaves a bright ring around it).
In Spain, the last visible annular eclipse occurred in 2005 and the last total eclipse dates back to 1959 (and only from Canary Islands); in the peninsula, a total solar eclipse has not been seen since 1912, according to Observatory data, which has emphasized that this "eclipse drought" will end because over the next three years, up to three eclipses visible from some point in Spanish geography will occur.
Thus, on August 12, 2026, the first total solar eclipse visible from the Iberian Peninsula in over a century will take place; on August 2, 2027, the same event will be repeated; and on January 26, 2028, an annular eclipse that will be visible from Spain will occur, thus ending an unusual calendar of astronomical events.
Since the two total eclipses will occur in summer, the chances of having clear skies are high, as advanced by the National Astronomical Observatory, but unlike lunar eclipses, special precautions are necessary to observe solar eclipses, and one should never look directly with the naked eye or with sunglasses, as it poses many risks to eyesight.
Solar eclipses are particularly interesting for science, as they are exceptional occasions during which researchers can observe a part of the solar atmosphere - known as the corona - which is too faint to be examined, except when the bright light of the Sun is blocked by one of these events.
To overcome this obstacle from Earth, scientists use "coronagraphs" to artificially block the sunlight, simulating a total eclipse, but NASA has detailed that even with these instruments, studying the part of the corona closer to the star, where many of the most important processes occur that significantly affect humans and terrestrial technologies, is very difficult.