Reuters, SAN AGUSTIN DEL POZO, Spain
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In a tiny Spanish farming village, retired shepherd Joaquin Tapioles is preparing to watch next week’s first-in-a-century total solar eclipse from the observatory he built after being inspired by the mysteries of the skies as a boy.The first total eclipse visible from the Iberian Peninsula since 1912 is set to draw skywatchers from across Spain and abroad.A self-taught astronomer who goes by the nickname the “Galactic Shepherd,” Tapioles, 67, said he would be watching with his family on Wednesday next week from the rotating dome that juts out among San Agustin del Pozo’s red-brick buildings.
Retired shepherd and self-taught astronomer Joaquin Tapioles holds his pet cat in front of the observatory he built to house a telescope he designed, built and programmed, in San Agustin del Pozo, Spain, on July 22.
He operates the telescope he designed and assembled himself using a video game controller to track the sky.While he loves to share his decades-long passion with visitors who have donated to his project, he wants to allow his family time to savor the moment.
