BURGOS: One of nature's greatest spectacles — a rare total solar eclipse — began casting its shadow on Wednesday, briefly turning day into night in Russia's remote Arctic north before heading towards mainland Europe.
The Moon first blotted out the Sun at the northernmost tip of mainland Russia at about 1700 GMT, leaving only the shimmering glow of its outer corona, and eerie darkness.
As it passes down through parts of Greenland and Iceland, excitement built in Spain, where the eclipse's narrow path cuts diagonally from the northwestern Atlantic coast to the Mediterranean Sea, before being expected to fade at about 1830 GMT.
Tourists and enthusiasts thronged normally quiet Spanish villages, as mainland Europe has not experienced a total solar eclipse for 20 years while Spain has not witnessed one in more than a century.
Iceland's capital, Reykjavik, however, has not seen a total solar eclipse since 1433.
