Millions crowd cities to see Spain's first total solar eclipse in over a century

As the sky darkened, gradually at first and then quickly, people broke into applause and cheered. It was the Spain's first total solar eclipse in more than a century.

<img src='https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/2650x1766+0+0/resize/2650x1766!/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F6c%2Fdd%2Fc984742f4dbf89757e5ae3ca5d80%2Fap26224690997000.jpg' alt='A solar eclipse is seen over a Virgin Maria church in Vidigulfo, near Pavia, northern Italy, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026.'/><p>As the sky darkened, gradually at first and then quickly, people broke into applause and cheered. It was the Spain's first total solar eclipse in more than a century.</p><p>(Image credit: Antonio Calanni)</p><img src='https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=g-s1-138556' />