Regions such as Galicia, Asturias, Castile and León, Madrid, Aragon, Catalonia, the Valencian Community, and the Balearic Islands experienced the path of totality, while the rest of the country saw a partial eclipse.

The solar corona glows as the moon completely blocks the sun during the totality phase, as seen from San Asensio in the La Rioja region.

Photograph: Ander Gillenea/Getty Images

The event lasted about four and a half hours, while the total darkening of the sky lasted just under two minutes, allowing various space agencies to conduct scientific experiments along the path of totality.

Fans of Real Madrid watch the solar eclipse through special glasses before the Teresa Herrera Trophy match between RC Deportivo A Coruña and Real Madrid at Riazor Stadium.

Photograph: José Manuel Álvarez Rey/Getty Images

One of the most notable projects involved a NASA mission tracking the moon’s shadow using a WB-57 high-altitude research aircraft that flew at 50,000 feet. A team of scientists sought to gather new data on the dynamics of the solar corona—the sun’s outermost atmosphere—which can only be studied in detail during total eclipses.