Our 2026 eclipse adventure has begun!

First stop was Toulouse, France known as the pink city due to the terracotta bricks used to build many of the buildings. Toulouse is home to the aerospace industry in Europe so a visit to Cité de l’espace was a priority and we were not disappointed.

We arrived just after opening and there was a long security queue which moved quickly and efficiently as did the ticket queue. First stop was the planetarium which included a presentation on the upcoming solar eclipse. Toulouse will be outside the path of totality and will see close to 98% coverage of the Sun. The IMAX theatre featured a presentation on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) from building to launch and first light and outside in the grounds was a life-size replica of the JWST primary and secondary mirrors. The grounds included an Ariane rocket, Soyuz capsule, Apollo lunar module and the XMM-Newton Space Telescope.

There was also the avenue of the infinite or powers of 10 which pictorially moved further out as you walked the avenue. Martian Ground was the place to see the Perseverance and Zhurong rovers and watch as they were put through their paces and features on each explained including some of their discoveries.

Sojourner also made a guest appearance to show

how rover design has progressed since 1997. The ’Moon-Episode II, We’re going Back!’ interactive exhibition engages both young and old, the carpet in cratered and adds to that feeling of being on the lunar surface and the habitats housing the displays and the rover experience evoke the feeling of what life on the lunar surface may be like in the future.

The riverside near Pont Neuf is a great place to watch sunset, the buildings and river glowing in the last light of the day.

Construction on Convent des Jacobins began in 1230 and is built in the Southern French Gothic style. It is spectacular and known for its cloisters although I think the church itself and the vaulted roof are more spectacular. We continued on our journey to Pic du Midi, the French observatory nestled high in the Pyrénées Mountains. The two cable cars to the summit do invoke being above the clouds when you arrive at the top and the views match. Inside there are theatres and interactives on many topics that start basic and walk you through to more advanced information on each topic - this is something we have noticed in France, that they take complex ideas and explain them simply so that anyone can follow and understand.

The planetarium show started in the solar system and moved out through the galaxy and beyond, very much like powers of ten. The app that allowed non-French speakers to listen in their language was good although a small lag time meant you had to pay attention to the visual part of the session and remember it while the app caught up – no mean feat as our presenter spoke rapidly.

Our late afternoon journey back down through the low clouds was just as interesting as the ascent in the morning.

We are now in Spain, staying at Hotel Rural 3 Cabos, overlooking Luarca, our observing place for the eclipse tomorrow. We have spent today checking timings and camera settings and preparing for tomorrow. The eclipse will begin at 19:30:59.3, with totality from 20:26:56.8 to 20:28:46.7 (a total of 1 minute, 49.4 seconds) and the partial eclipse will conclude at 21:21:08.8, with the sun setting at approximated 21:35 (local time). The mornings here are usually misty from the ocean with some light cloud during the late morning to midday and clearing in the afternoon. Hopefully this pattern will continue, providing perfect observing conditions for tomorrow’s spectacle!