Witnessing the solar eclipse in Spain through study abroad

A summer 2026 study abroad trip to Spain brought UW students together to learn about the science and art of solar eclipses – with a viewing of the eclipse on the final day!

The program, co-led by Dr. Paola Rodríguez Hidalgo, associate professor in the Department of Physical Sciences and Dr. David Goldstein, teaching professor in the School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences, included three courses: a Spanish language class, Introduction to Astronomy taught by Rodríguez Hidalgo and an arts class about the eclipse through different contexts, taught by Goldstein.

In addition to their classes, the students visited a children’s camp at a municipal observatory in León before the eclipse occurred, teaching them basic astronomy and what to expect at the eclipse.

They also presented during a public viewing of the eclipse hosted by the European Space Agency, encountering thousands of visitors.

For those who witnessed it in person, seeing the eclipse was almost an indescribable feeling.

“Though I am an astronomer, I study other far-away galaxies. This was for me the first time I felt what it means to live on a planet,” Dr. Rodríguez Hidalgo said. “I think that everybody should have that feeling at least once.

To learn more about the program, read the full UW Bothell story, “The science and art of solar eclipses.”