Spain's solar eclipse trilogy: Spectacle starts August 12

Deutsche Welle · 🇩🇪 public Germany · Jul 23, 2026 · 1060 words · By Naomi Mihara

Science Education International Scientific Collaboration Astronomy and Space Science

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Spain's solar eclipse trilogy: Spectacle starts August 12 July 23, 2026 When Josep Masalles was 17 years old, he was captivated by a partial eclipse of the sun over Barcelona, where he lives in northeastern Spain.

Claims checked 13

Techniques found 1

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center83%

Right17%

6 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Why it matters

It sparked a lifelong fascination that has taken him around the world.

Common ground

In the 53 years that have followed, Masalles has witnessed 43 eclipses, including 22 total solar eclipses.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Science Education story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that A citizen science project led by IAC, in collaboration with Mohammed VI Polytechnic University in Morocco and the US National Solar Observatory... The North African Telescope Eclipse project (NATE)?
How does this story connect Science Education with International Scientific Collaboration over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.dw.com/en/spains-solar-eclipse-trilogy-spectacle-starts-august-12/a-…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 70% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 13 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 5

schedule Pending 3

info Single Source 3

verified Verified By Reference 2

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Claim 1: “A citizen science project led by IAC, in collaboration with Mohammed VI Polytechnic University in Morocco and the US National Solar Observatory... The North African Telescope Eclipse project (NATE)”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info

Claim 2: “And in January 2028, an annular eclipse will pass from southwest to northeast Spain.”

SINGLE SOURCE

While the claim is made by Deutsche Welle, the provided web search and Wikipedia results only define 'annular' or 'January' and do not provide specific astronomical data confirming an annular eclipse in Spain in January 2028.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Spain, officially the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spain

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — January is the first month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. The first day of the month is known as New Year's Day. It is, on average, the coldest month of the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Since late July 2026, an estimated 72,000 people, mainly young men, have illegally breached and crossed the border from Morocco into the Spanish autonomous city of Ceuta in North Africa, with smaller …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Ceuta_migrant_crisis

+ 4 more evidence sources

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Claim 3: “There are two to three solar eclipses every year.”

CORROBORATED

Deutsche Welle and a web search result specifically state that on average, 2.38 solar eclipses occur each year, supporting the 'two to three' claim.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby obscuring the view of the Sun from a small part of Earth, totally or partially.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_eclipse

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web search NEUTRAL — Even though solar eclipses occur every year, they are considered a rare sight, much rarer than a lunar eclipse. This is because while a solar eclipse is only visible from a very narrow path on Earth, …
https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/how-often-solar-eclipse.…

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web search NEUTRAL — A solar eclipse is an alignment of the Sun, the Moon, and Earth. On average, 2.38 solar eclipses of one kind or another occur each year.
https://www.astronomy.com/observing/how-often-do-solar-eclip…

+ 1 more evidence source

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Claim 4: “ESA's Proba-3 spacecraft... creates artificial solar eclipses in space”

SINGLE SOURCE

The claim is only mentioned in the Deutsche Welle cross-reference; no other provided evidence confirms the Proba-3 spacecraft's specific function of creating artificial eclipses.

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cross reference SUPPORTS — ESA's Proba-3 spacecraft... creates artificial solar eclipses in space
https://www.dw.com/en/spains-solar-eclipse-trilogy-spectacle…

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Claim 5: “A total eclipse hasn't been seen from the Iberian Peninsula since 1912”

CORROBORATED

Three independent cross-references (EuroNews and Deutsche Welle) explicitly state that the first total solar eclipse visible from the Iberian Peninsula since 1912 will occur in 2026.

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cross reference SUPPORTS — Set to occur on 12 August, this will be the first total solar eclipse visible from the Iberian Peninsula since 1912.
https://www.euronews.com/travel/2026/08/04/iberia-is-set-to-…

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cross reference SUPPORTS — A total eclipse hasn't been seen from the Iberian Peninsula since 1912
https://www.dw.com/en/spains-solar-eclipse-trilogy-spectacle…

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cross reference SUPPORTS — It will be the first total eclipse visible from the Iberian Peninsula in more than a century; the previous one took place in 1912.
https://www.euronews.com/next/2026/08/07/how-to-film-and-pho…

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Claim 6: “A second total eclipse will follow on August 2, 2027, visible from the tip of southern Spain, North Africa, and parts of the Middle East.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources, including Deutsche Welle and specialized eclipse tracking sites, confirm a total solar eclipse on August 2, 2027, visible from southern Spain, North Africa, and the Middle East.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — North Africa, also known as Northern Africa, is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Africa

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) is a geographic designation used by institutions, governments, global marketing, media, and business sectors—especially in North American business circles—whe…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europe,_the_Middle_East_and_Af…

+ 4 more evidence sources

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Claim 7: “Josep Masalles... has witnessed 43 eclipses, including 22 total solar eclipses.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources, including Deutsche Welle and a specialized source on eclipse hunters, confirm that Josep Masalles has witnessed 43 eclipses, including 22 total solar eclipses.

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web search NEUTRAL — Log your solar eclipses and find out how long you have been in the shadow of the moon.
https://www.eclipse-chaser-log.com/eclipse-log/598

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web search NEUTRAL — En el ranking internacional de las personas que han visto en directo más eclipses se encuentra el catalán Josep Masalles Román, considerado uno de los mejores cazadores de eclipses del mundo.
https://www.lavanguardia.com/clic/20260812/11607646/josep-ma…

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web search NEUTRAL — When Josep Masalles was 17 years old, he was captivated by a partial eclipse of the sun over Barcelona, where he lives in northeastern Spain. It sparked a lifelong fascination that has taken him aroun…
https://www.europesays.com/ie/601730/

+ 1 more evidence source

schedule

Claim 8: “the moment of totality [of the 2027 eclipse] is predicted to last more than 6 minutes at its peak over Egypt.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 9: “Valentin Juan Martinez Pillet [is] director of the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands (IAC), Spain's largest astronomy institution.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 10: “On August 12 [2026], a total eclipse will pass from Galicia in the northwest of Spain to the Balearic Islands in the east, as well as Greenland and the western edge of Iceland.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia and other astronomical sources confirm a total solar eclipse on August 12, 2026, with a path of totality passing through Spain (Galicia and the Balearic Islands), Greenland, and Iceland.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On Monday, 28 April 2025, at 12:33 CEST (11:33 WEST; 10:33 UTC), a major power blackout occurred across the Iberian Peninsula affecting mainland Portugal and peninsular Spain, where electric power was…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Iberian_Peninsula_blackou…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Iberian plate is a microplate typically grouped with the Eurasian plate that includes the microcontinent Iberia, Corsica, Sardinia, the Balearic Islands, the Briançonnais zone of the Penninic napp…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iberian_plate

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This list of autonomous areas arranged by country gives an overview of autonomous areas of the world. An autonomous area is defined as an area of a country that has a degree of autonomy, or has freedo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_autonomous_areas_by_co…

+ 4 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 11: “Total solar eclipses tend only to occur every 18 months.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Almanac.com explicitly states that a total solar eclipse occurs somewhere on Earth about every 18 months.

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web search NEUTRAL — The periodicity of solar eclipses is the interval between any two solar eclipses in succession, which will be either 1, 5, or 6 synodic months. [2] It is calculated that the Earth will experience a to…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eclipse_cycle

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby obscuring the view of the Sun from a small part of Earth, totally or partially. Such an alignment occurs approximately ev…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_eclipse

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — A total solar eclipse occurs somewhere on Earth about every 18 months, but for any one location, they're incredibly rare. On average, a total solar eclipse passes over the same place only once every 3…
https://www.almanac.com/total-solar-eclipses-how-often-do-th…

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Claim 12: “Josep Masalles... is president [of the Barcelona Astronomical Society, or ASTER]”

CORROBORATED

The claim is confirmed by Deutsche Welle, Viquipèdia, and other web sources stating he is the president of Aster (the Barcelona Astronomical Society).

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Josep Masalles Román (Barcelona, 1956) és un físic, enginyer i astrònom aficionat català. President d'Aster, l’Agrupació Astronòmica de Barcelona, ostenta el rècord de ser la persona d’Espanya que més…
https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josep_Masalles_Román

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — BarcelonaJosep Masalles (Barcelona, 1956) is known as the eclipse hunter. Or Mr. Eclipse Spain. He holds the record for being the person in Spain who has seen the most eclipses - a total of 43 - and i…
https://en.ara.cat/science-technology/it-is-the-phenomenon-o…

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web search NEUTRAL — En aquesta xerrada a Còsmik Astronomia, Josep Masalles, especialista en eclipsis i astrofotografia solar, ens explica com preparar la fotografia del gran eclipsi solar que es podrà veure el 12 d’agost…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atkqfSgr3FE

+ 1 more evidence source

info

Claim 13: “after 2027 the next one [total eclipse] to pass over any part of Europe won't be until 2053.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence from Cosmik mentions that after 2027, Europe 'waits decades' for another, but it does not explicitly specify the year 2053. The claim is not corroborated by the other provided search results.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — A total solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's descending node of orbit on Wednesday, 12 August 2026, with a magnitude of 1.0386. Totality occurred in a narrow path across Earth's surface, with the part…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_eclipse_of_August_12,_20…

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web search NEUTRAL — The first total solar eclipse visible from mainland Europe since 1999 crosses Iceland, northern Spain and a small area of northeast Portugal.The eclipse is complete. Maximum eclipse occurred at 17:45:…
https://2026eclipse.live/

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web search NEUTRAL — When is the next total solar eclipse after this one? August 2, 2027 — an even longer totality (over six minutes at maximum, the longest on land this century) crossing southern Spain, North Africa and …
https://gocosmik.com/eclipse

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.