Thousands gather across western side for partial eclipse

Thousands gathered across the western side of Gibraltar to view the 93% partial eclipse
on Wednesday night.

At 7.44pm the eclipse began, reaching its peak at 8.39pm and marking the biggest celestial event over Gibraltar in more than 150 years.

William Recagno, President of the Gibraltar Astronomical Society, confirmed that
historical records show that the last total eclipse took place on December 22, 1870,
with the next total eclipse taking place next year on August 2.

For Gibraltar, last night's partial eclipse was the first time many had witnessed such a
phenomenon.

Mr Regcano has spent weeks warning people of the dangers of a solar eclipse, partial or total, and the risk of looking at it without proper glasses that have been verified ISO safe, while also encouraging people to enjoy the experience.

Last night he watched it from Camp Bay alongside hundreds of people.

Reflecting on the event, Mr Recagno said it was great that so many people around Gibraltar came out to watch it, especially as most will not have seen an eclipse before in their life.

He added that this 93% partial eclipse was a great prelude to next year’s big event, for which plans are well under way and will ramp up in early 2027.

Across Gibraltar there has been a scramble to secure eclipse glasses for viewing with long queues and vendors selling out.

Margarita Haiduk, who brought along her young son to experience his first eclipse.

“I think it’s just a great thing to see that happens rarely,” Ms Haiduk said, recalling the
last eclipse she remembered was in 1999.

She also noted how uplifting it was to see the whole community come together for the occasion.

Her son, she explained, was initially ambivalent about watching the phenomenon but grew excited by the rarity of the experience. The family are already looking ahead to the total eclipse in 2027.

The eclipse was visible in Gibraltar, and in wide band of north and central Spain, plus a sliver of Portugal and parts of Greenland and Iceland which experienced a rare total eclipse.

The light of the setting sun was virtually blocked out across much of western Europe, including the UK, France, Belgium, Switzerland and northern Italy.

Among those watching at Westview Park part were Harvey Tyson and Alicia Capurro.

“I’ve just come down because it was like once‑in‑a‑lifetime,” Ms Capurro said. She called the event “a really unique experience” and said she felt fortunate to be there.

Natalia Grydkowska said it was “a unique experience” and also saw the eclipse in 1999,but she was too young then to remember it and she hoped to savour the moment properly last night.

“I tried the special glasses at home but couldn’t see anything through them,” she said.

“So it’s nice to see it now.”

Clive Biddlecombe has a rock facing view so ventured down to the park to see the eclipse and soak up the atmosphere there.

This was not his first eclipse but the last time was when he was a young boy, he said.

He and his wife are already looking forward to next year’s event.

They plan to remain in Gibraltar for the next eclipse, with no summer holidays booked for August 2.