The mountain village of Somosierra in northern Spain is preparing for an influx of astrotourists for the total solar eclipse on August 12. This phenomenon has not been observed in northern and eastern Spain and the Balearic Islands for more than 120 years. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing The Guardian.
Somosierra is a small village located at an altitude of 1,440 meters, at the northern edge of the Madrid region, bordering Castilla y León and Castilla-La Mancha. It has become a prime spot for viewing the total eclipse, as no site this close to the Spanish capital will offer such conditions: 1 minute and 29 seconds of clear-sky totality.
For the village's 93 inhabitants, the event has raised unexpected questions: where will up to 2,000 expected visitors park? Will there be enough water? And how many batches of paella will the local restaurant need to prepare for hungry sky-gazers?
Irma López Muñoz, Somosierra's tourism manager, said: "The fact that we've been selected as the best place in the Madrid region to watch the eclipse has led to a huge amount of media and social media coverage." She added: "That's generated a lot of interest among people in Madrid – and some from abroad. So we're anticipating a large influx of visitors because it is a unique event that hasn't been seen for over 100 years."
Although the village council has offered 400 official registration slots, it believes five times as many people could turn up on the day. Even before the recent massive wildfires broke out to the west of Madrid, the council was thinking about how to minimize risk factors on the day of the eclipse and has been coordinating its efforts with police and civil protection authorities.
López added: "We're very close to a major European capital with a huge population, and many people are going to come without seeking out information beforehand. That's beyond our control. We can't predict that someone might be watching television and say, 'Well, I'm going to make some sandwiches and go see the eclipse with my children.'"
With that in mind, the council is scrambling to recruit and educate volunteers to help steward events on August 12. It recently hired El Nocturnario, a company of astrotourism experts, to deliver a day's training to volunteers gathered in Somosierra's tiny cultural centre to learn about the joys and dangers of eclipses.
One of the volunteers, María Gradaille, said she was delighted to help out with what she called "a once-in-a-lifetime event and a historic scientific milestone." She was also grateful for the knowledge and tips she had picked up: "I've learned so much about the eclipse. I didn't know it could burn your eyes so badly or just how dangerous it can be."
According to Sarai de la Hoz, one of El Nocturnario's co-founders, local and regional authorities around Spain are belatedly beginning to wake up to the potential benefits of all things astronomical. The looming total solar eclipse will be followed by a six-minute-long "eclipse of the century" in August next year, and by a spectacular "ring of fire eclipse" in January 2028.
Little wonder, then, that the Spanish government has set up a special committee to oversee the trio of eclipses. As government spokesperson Elma Saiz Delgado pointed out on Tuesday, the events will put Spain "at the centre of global astronomical observation and astrotourism." This first eclipse alone is expected to attract 446,000 additional visitors in a year when tourist numbers in Spain could pass the 100-million mark for the first time. The event is also forecast to bring in an extra €342m (£292m) in tourist revenue.
De la Hoz said: "When we started talking about the eclipse a year ago, people kind of thought we were mad. They were like: 'It's not going to be that big a deal' and: 'Not that many people will come.' But as time's gone by and the authorities have realised what's to come, we've been getting calls from people who need our help."
While much of the training she and her colleagues provide is about eclipses and how to watch one safely, the classes also involve a lot of logistics and organisation: "How's the event going to be organised; who's going to liaise with the local police and the civil protection."