Javier Armentia
Astrophysicist, science communicator and former director of the Pamplona Planetarium
I’d been looking forward to this eclipse, but it never fails to surprise. Once again, it has turned astronomy into a thrilling experience as the solar corona unfolded on that extraordinary night.
I had the pleasure of witnessing it in Lerín (Navarre), a village that had brought together 5,000 people to turn the total eclipse into a celebration of astronomy. This achieved something very special: it ensured that an experience which was moving for each individual attendee was also a collective one. People were grateful that we’d insisted they shouldn’t miss the chance to observe it, especially those who were most doubtful or sceptical about the media hype. Now people have been deeply moved by the eclipse. They’ll remember it for the rest of their lives and, perhaps, some will want to experience it again, as has always been the case, but now, perhaps even more so, because the world needs more stories like this.