{"id":616509,"date":"2026-08-02T10:57:14","date_gmt":"2026-08-02T10:57:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/616509\/"},"modified":"2026-08-02T10:57:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-02T10:57:14","slug":"jorge-perez-gallego-astrophysicist-a-total-eclipse-creates-an-energy-similar-to-a-big-concert-to-the-feeling-of-celebrating-a-goal-science","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/616509\/","title":{"rendered":"Jorge P\u00e9rez Gallego, astrophysicist: \u2018A total eclipse creates an energy similar to a big concert, to the feeling of celebrating a goal\u2019 | Science"},"content":{"rendered":"

From producing the official live broadcast of the 2024 total solar eclipse<\/a> for all of the United States to being able to experience the next one in his home country \u2014 the only place in the world where it can be seen with certainty \u2014 Spanish astrophysicist Jorge P\u00e9rez Gallego believes that, with barely two weeks to go, it is crucial to emphasize the feelings and emotions that \u201cthis natural event, of an unimaginable magnitude if you haven\u2019t seen it before,\u201d provokes. Looking ahead to August 12, he feels obliged to share key information and his personal experience with top-tier eclipses.<\/p>\n

He stresses the need to move into the path of totality. Being nearby isn\u2019t enough. A few tenths or hundredths short of 100% means missing what makes the phenomenon extraordinary, he tells EL PA\u00cdS by video call. P\u00e9rez Gallego (Terrassa, Barcelona, 45) is the director of Education, Outreach, and Communications at the U.S. National Solar Observatory. With a Ph.D. in astronomy and a Master\u2019s degree in fine arts, he combines two perspectives that lead him to champion art as a complementary way to communicate how Spain will experience this total eclipse \u2014 in 31 of the country\u2019s provinces, another one won\u2019t be seen until the year 2180.<\/p>\n

Question.<\/b> Three weeks after winning the World Cup<\/a>, Spain will again experience a mass celebration with this eclipse. Can we expect it to leave a comparable mark?<\/p>\n

Answer.<\/b> Yes. It turns out we\u2019ve now won the World Cup twice in 16 years. A total eclipse, if you don\u2019t travel from where you live, on average you would have to wait between 300 and 400 years for it to happen again. In other words, it\u2019s normally, with luck, a once-in-a-lifetime event for a person. People will remember where they were and who they were with during the eclipse, similar to how we remember the day of the September 11 attacks<\/a>, a tragedy that also marked us. This time, though, the memory will be positive. It will raise a lot of questions, especially among many children. How those questions are answered will also shape their lives. It can plant a seed that sprouts in many directions, generating vocations in science, but also in art, the humanities, and philosophy.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d bet money that it will also turn adults who aren\u2019t astronomy fans into new eclipse chasers \u2014 true addicts who travel the world to experience those feelings again.<\/p>\n

Q.<\/b> To what extent does seeing a total eclipse make us feel things we haven\u2019t felt before?<\/p>\n

A.<\/b> Well, rather than \u201csee,\u201d I prefer the word \u201cexperience,\u201d because what happens involves more senses than sight alone. There\u2019s not just the visual factor. When the sky darkens, you\u2019ll notice a sharp drop in temperature that can, in turn, create air currents. And if you\u2019re out in nature, you\u2019ll hear animals fall silent. All of that will happen even if clouds or a mountain prevent you from directly seeing the phenomenon where you are.<\/p>\n

And if nothing blocks your view, you will see the strangest Sun of your life: it will have grown dark and a white corona will have appeared around it. You\u2019ll also be able to see stars or planets very close to it \u2014 things we can\u2019t normally see because the blinding brightness of the solar disk hides them.<\/p>\n

Q.<\/b> You\u2019re giving us a massive spoiler about the eclipse. What if, in the end, the experience doesn\u2019t live up to the expectations you\u2019re setting for us?<\/p>\n

A.<\/b> It doesn\u2019t matter if I spoil it. Even so, I think most people won\u2019t be prepared to experience it. I wasn\u2019t prepared \u2014 and I\u2019m an astrophysicist. I knew what was going to happen and understood its scientific significance. I knew the theory inside and out, but suddenly, the moment it happens, there\u2019s a very personal element to it. It\u2019s something that goes beyond what science can explain and depends on your background: your education, cultural influences, and everything you\u2019ve experienced up to that point.<\/p>\n

Some people will shout, some will cry, some will start thinking of relatives they can no longer share it with, some will feel hopeful about the future. The spectrum of emotions an eclipse can sow in humans is as broad as the number of people on earth.<\/p>\n

Q.<\/b> What do you say to those who think it won\u2019t be that big a deal?<\/p>\n

A.<\/b> Look, the first thing I tell them is: \u201cMaybe, maybe, but give yourself a chance because it\u2019s the only one you\u2019ll ever have in your life.\u201d Then I tell them about my personal experience and share the information I think is most relevant, and I hope that helps them make a decision about what they want to do. If they don\u2019t want to watch it, well, there will always be people with different interests \u2014 like those who preferred to go for a walk during the World Cup final \u2014 and that\u2019s perfectly fine with me.<\/p>\n

Q.<\/b> What information do you give to those who are unsure?<\/p>\n

A.<\/b> The first thing I tell them is that a 99.99% eclipse has nothing to do with a total eclipse. That remaining 0.01% may seem small, but it\u2019s the difference between day and night. Literally. It\u2019s not a metaphor \u2014 it\u2019s just that the Sun is so bright that, if the eclipse is partial, even if it\u2019s very deep \u2014 the small portion that remains still shines very brightly, enough for it to still be daytime. Even though an instrument might measure a decrease in brightness, we can\u2019t perceive it with the naked eye. Only during a 100% eclipse does it truly get dark, even if it\u2019s brief and strange. Only at that moment can you take off your protective glasses and see what\u2019s always hidden.<\/p>\n

So, if someone is in a place that will experience a 99.9% partial eclipse and asks me, \u201cIs it worth driving half an hour to get into the path of totality?\u201d the answer is yes.<\/p>\n

Q.<\/b> And about your personal experience of the 2017 and 2024 eclipses in the U.S., what would you highlight, for better and worse?<\/p>\n

A.<\/b> The best was being able to see the 2017 eclipse with my two best friends in the middle of the state of Oregon. The three of us being astronomers, and knowing the phenomenon, made us feel very different things; I remember we talked about it at length. The worst was the several-hour traffic jam when, after the eclipse, we began the return trip.<\/p>\n

\"\"P\u00e9rez Gallego will coordinate a scientific research and international cooperation project promoted by the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands in Palencia on August 12.
\nAlbert Garcia<\/p>\n

Q.<\/b> Three astronomers, enjoying that unique experience in the midst of a natural setting. You must have got some spectacular photos of the eclipse…<\/p>\n

A. <\/b>Well, no. We\u2019re there to experience it, which is what I recommend to people, especially if it\u2019s their first total eclipse. If you\u2019re not an expert in astrophotography, don\u2019t try to take pictures of it: just enjoy how it makes you feel, without anything getting in the way. It\u2019s just like how many people go to a Bad Bunny concert<\/a> and feel the need to document it.<\/p>\n

Q.<\/b> In that case, how is a total eclipse similar to a concert?<\/p>\n

A.<\/b> They can be compared \u2014 as long as you experience the eclipse in company, of course. Then an energy is created similar to that at a concert by your favorite artist, or to the feeling of celebrating a goal. You feel part of a group experiencing something; you pick up the energy of those who are sharing it with you. And I, without judging those who want to record it, prefer to be present there without a camera stealing part of my experience. With a cellphone it won\u2019t look good; it won\u2019t resemble those professional photos that fascinate us of a total eclipse, with the solar corona and Baily\u2019s beads.<\/p>\n

One thing I can recommend is leaving a camera recording your reactions and forgetting about it. My favorite video from the 2017 eclipse is of a child, captured on camera at a public viewing, who has an incredible reaction. Whenever I show it in a talk, someone says: \u201cI want to see it, I want to feel something like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Q.<\/b> That child is like the Keyne Yamal of eclipses.<\/p>\n

A.<\/b> Uh, yes, it\u2019s a bit like seeing Lamine Yamal<\/a>\u2019s brother. The child\u2019s reaction motivates people more to want to see a total eclipse than the astronomical photo of the phenomenon itself.<\/p>\n

Q.<\/b> How will you spend eclipse day?<\/p>\n

A.<\/b> After so many years in the U.S., I will finally be able to see a total eclipse in the country where I was born, with many of the people I love and with whom I became myself. Professionally, I\u2019m also fortunate that the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands has recruited me for the NATE project, which will study the solar corona \u2014 taking advantage of the unique conditions of a total eclipse \u2014 and will do outreach about this phenomenon in depopulated areas of Spain<\/a>. We\u2019ll be in Palencia and several villages in the province during those days. When an eclipse approaches, everyone pays attention to the Sun and listens to us. For solar physicists, it\u2019s like Christmas Day.<\/p>\n

Q.<\/b> Will you feel like a child on Christmas Day on August 12?<\/p>\n

A.<\/b> More like Santa Claus. Because on eclipse day, it\u2019s the astronomers who bring the gifts.<\/p>\n

Sign up for our weekly newsletter<\/a> to get more English-language news coverage from EL PA\u00cdS USA Edition<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"From producing the official live broadcast of the 2024 total solar eclipse for all of the United States…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":616510,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[77],"tags":[17891,18,19,17,35043,1024,8244,133],"class_list":["post-616509","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-science","tag-bad-bunny","tag-eire","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-lamine-yamal","tag-nasa","tag-oregon","tag-science"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/117025561360069647","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/616509","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=616509"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/616509\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/616510"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=616509"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=616509"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=616509"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}