Spain and Portugal witnessed a total solar eclipse on Wednesday, with the path of totality sweeping across northern Spain and a small area of northeastern Portugal near the Spanish border.

Viewing events were held in many locations across the two countries, drawing crowds of residents, tourists and astronomy enthusiasts.

The Sun's corona glows as the Moon completely blocks the Sun during the totality phase of the total solar eclipse as seen from Arenal beach in Llucmajor, on the Balearic island of Mallorca, on August 12, 2026. (Photo: AFP)

According to Spain's National Geographic Institute (IGN), it was the first total solar eclipse visible from the Iberian Peninsula in more than a century.

The path of totality crossed Spain from west to east, passing through A Coruna, Oviedo, Leon, Bilbao, Zaragoza and Valencia before reaching the Balearic Islands. Other parts of Spain witnessed varying degrees of a partial eclipse.

In Molina de Aragon, in the central Spanish province of Guadalajara, Xinhua reporters saw nearly 100 tourists and astronomy enthusiasts gathering at a viewing site, including visitors from Germany, Poland and Italy.

Among them was a Chinese couple who chose to mark their wedding anniversary under the total solar eclipse.

This handout composite image from NASA shows the progression of a total solar eclipse over San Millán de los Caballeros, Spain, on, August 12, 2026. (Photo: AFP)

At around 20:30 (1830 GMT), the sky rapidly darkened as the moon completely covered the sun, revealing the solar corona. Cheers erupted from the crowd as many captured the moment with cameras and mobile phones.

About 90 seconds later, sunlight returned, and the crowd burst into applause.

In Portugal, most parts of the country witnessed a partial eclipse, while only a narrow area in the northeastern municipality of Braganca near the Spanish border fell within the path of totality.

According to local media, it was the first time since 1912 that a total solar eclipse could be observed from Portugal.

Thousands gathered at Braganca Airport, one of the main viewing sites in the region. In Lisbon, although the Portuguese capital lay outside the path of totality, the eclipse still drew crowds of residents and tourists.

In the Belem district, many watched the phenomenon through protective eclipse glasses, with landmarks including the Belem Tower and the Jeronimos Monastery providing a distinctive backdrop to the partially eclipsed sun.