Totality!

Morning in Luarca was a misty affair and while some of the mist lifted, the cloud cover did not so about 12pm we (my eclipse chasing friends Toner and Ron Stevenson and I) decided that a road trip inland towards León, Spain would be the best chance to see the eclipse.

Morning overlooking Luarca from our hotel.

After driving for a couple of hours and checking out a few places along the way we decided on Villamanín, in the Province of León as the skies were clear and it had a good horizon for the eclipse. We were not disappointed. We setup along a quiet street on the footpath and were soon joined by lovely locals and Spanish people who had travelled away from the coast in the hope of seeing the eclipse. Behind us on the hill, an eclipse viewing site for the township was in full swing. It was all very low key and calm, making a very enjoyable observing experience.  At 7:32pm first contact started and the eclipse was happening. Several small sunspots were visible (through the camera, not by eye) on the Sun’s surface. As we approached totality at 8:27pm, the shadows lengthened and the beautiful golden light only seen during total solar eclipses bathed all observers and then the first of two spectacular diamond rings. Most surprising was the brilliant prominence, so large it was easily visible to the eye and it distinct reddish-pink colour also visible as the diamond ring faded to totality. Totality. The outer corona was not as expansive as past eclipses, including lower eclipses like the 2019 eclipse in Vicuña, Chile, it was compact and had a distinct yellowish glow. One of the solar poles was very distinct with only a minimal corona visible in this area, otherwise it was fairly even to the eye and in images. The  1 minute 48 seconds went all too quickly and another brilliant diamond ring heralded the end of totality. We watched the partial phase and as the eclipsed Sun set into the trees, I repositioned further along the footpath and gained a little more of the partial phase before it set behind the mountain.  

This was my 12^th totality, Toner’s 9^th and Ron’s 6^th.  Each and every eclipse has been unique and special and I look forward to next year’s total solar eclipse, which we are hoping to view from Tunisia.

All images and text copyright Melissa Hulbert © 2026, all rights reserved.