The 12th of August this year is a date long marked by everyone on their calendars. The historic total solar eclipse that Catalonia will experience will paralyze the country and, for a few moments, everyone will be looking at the sky. For this reason, the million-dollar question is obvious: will the weather allow us to enjoy this long-awaited event?

The total solar eclipse on August 12 will be historic, in our region. It is an exceptional phenomenon that, for the vast majority of the population, is only seen once in a lifetime without having to travel halfway around the world. For a few moments, in one part of the country, day will turn into night, the landscape will adopt an unusual light, and the sky will offer a unique spectacle that has awakened fascination, questions, and legends since time immemorial.

On August 12th, it is very important to protect your eyes to observe the solar eclipse. Failure to do so could have serious consequences for vision. Electromagnetic radiation and infrared and ultraviolet light can cause retinal damage which, in some cases, can be irreversible. This harmful effect is known as solar retinopathy and manifests with symptoms such as the appearance of spots in the visual field, blurred vision, or vision loss, according to the Official College of Opticians-Optometrists of Catalonia (COOC).

The Catalan municipalities from which the eclipse can be clearly seen have organized themselves to offer safe and controlled spaces from which to enjoy the meteorological spectacle. The objective is threefold: on the one hand, it is a way for the town councils to help citizens enjoy the eclipse and it is also a new opportunity to promote each city, in full tourist season. But there is also a safety reason, and that is that emergency teams, on a day that will mobilize tens of thousands of people, prefer to have citizens in a municipal sports center rather than wandering around the mountains looking for a good observation point. "Anything that is orderly is better," explain sources from Civil Protection.

"We'll soon be hanging up the "full" sign," says Aleix Roig, head of the Prades Mountains Astronomical Park, with still twelve months to go until Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, and other specific parts of the country will be plunged into darkness by the total solar eclipse of 2026.