'Once in a lifetime': Iceland experiences full solar eclipse, Spain up next

Skies over Iceland plunged into total darkness on Wednesday afternoon, as a solar eclipse took place in the west part of the country.

An opening in clouds allowed tourists and locals to view the natural phenomenon.

"'I was live-blogging the event from Reykjavik. And even with an overcast sky, cheers rose from the group of people in front of Hallgrimskirkja church as it went dark,' said a ⁠Reuters witness."

Millions of people have gathered in ⁠Iceland and northern Spain to watch the first total solar eclipse in Western Europe after 27 years, with Spanish authorities cautioning against areas threatened by heat and forest fires because of heatwaves.

Spanish authorities were expecting 6 million people to visit the mostly rural areas in northern Spain and the Balearic Islands, in the area of the total solar eclipse, said Juan Cruz, Spain's Secretary of State for Science.

"I hope that today we can see the emergence of an amazing generation of astrophysicists. It is just an incredible time," he said.

This will be soon followed by sunset in Spain, making the eclipse especially intriguing. Police, planes and helicopters are on standby.

The uncanny sensation when day briefly turns into twilight, and some animals fall quiet as the moon passes directly ‌between Earth and the sun, was often treated as an omen in the past, a cosmic struggle or a sign of divine power.

Now, Spain sees it as a chance to showcase seldom-visited regions and draw tourists away from its overcrowded beach resorts, while also rolling out a massive police operation and public safety campaign to prevent them from causing wildfires.