{"id":80751,"date":"2026-04-15T21:38:04","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T19:38:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/visitacostadamorte.com\/?p=80751"},"modified":"2026-04-15T22:03:37","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T20:03:37","slug":"eclipse-2026-on-the-costa-da-morte","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/visitacostadamorte.com\/en\/blog-en\/eclipse-2026-on-the-costa-da-morte","title":{"rendered":"Eclipse 2026 on the Costa da Morte"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As you know, a total solar eclipse<\/strong> occurs because the Moon<\/strong> moves directly in front of the Sun<\/strong> and blocks it from our view. The apparent size of both celestial discs in the sky is very similar (the Moon is 400 times smaller than the Sun, but it is also 400 times closer to us<\/strong>), and they match each other perfectly. This makes the cosmic coincidence<\/strong> even more spectacular and also means that the Moon\u2019s shadow on the Earth\u2019s surface is only a broad spot a few hundred kilometres across. Thanks to this, the Greeks were able to calculate the size of the Moon<\/strong> and the distance between it and us<\/strong>, as explained in this book: https:\/\/alvarelloseditora.gal\/libro\/a-que-altura-esta-o-ceo\/<\/a>. Incidentally, since the Moon is moving away from us by 3.8 cm each year<\/strong>, in 600 million years<\/strong> it will be far enough away for its disc to appear too small, and there will no longer be total solar eclipses<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the Earth<\/strong> and the Moon<\/strong> orbited in the same plane, there would be a total solar eclipse<\/strong> and a total lunar eclipse every 28 days<\/strong>: when there was a new moon<\/strong> (with the Moon between the Sun and the Earth) and when there was a full moon<\/strong> (with the Earth between the Moon and the Sun). But the plane of the Earth\u2019s orbit around the Sun is not the same as that of the Moon around the Earth: they are tilted relative to each other by a small angle, 5\u00b0<\/strong>, and so the usual thing is for the shadows not to line up in a way that produces eclipses. Even so, roughly every two years<\/strong> a total solar eclipse takes place somewhere on the planet (we have already had 15 total eclipses and 18 annular ones in the 21st century<\/strong>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And what about the European Union<\/strong>? It is a leading part of the world, but the area it covers amounts to less than 1% of the Earth\u2019s total surface<\/strong>… so it happens here very rarely. The last one was in 1999<\/strong>, with the shadow falling mainly over France<\/strong>. The next one, and the first in Europe in the 21st century<\/strong>, will take place on 12 August 2026<\/strong>, with Spain<\/strong> \u2014 and Galicia<\/strong> \u2014 in a privileged position. The fact that this will happen in a developed country, the world\u2019s second-largest tourism power<\/strong>, will unleash an extraordinary wave of astronomical excitement<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It will last only an instant, but just remember the frenzy that took place in the United States in 2024<\/strong> to witness what happened across large parts of the country, seen directly by around 50 million people<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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