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Total Solar Eclipse – Spain 12 August 2026

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For the first time since 1999, a total solar eclipse will be visible from Europe. Although the precise times of the start and the eclipse are known with remarkable precision, the all-important weather is not.

otal Solar Eclipse as seen from Side, Turkey 2006
Total Solar Eclipse as seen from Side, Turkey 2006

What is a total solar eclipse? By chance, the moon is 200 times smaller but 200 times closer to the Earth than the sun. In the sky, they appear about the same size. At the time of a total solar eclipse, they ARE in exactly the same place in the sky. The Moon blocks out the sun, and if you happen to be in the shadow of the Moon as it falls on the Earth, you get to see one of nature’s most remarkable spectacles.

Of the many online sources, timeanddate.com offers tons of information, including how it will be seen from many places in Spain and the average cloud cover on that date. For many, including me, Spain offers the best prospect of weather in the path of totality lasting 1m 24s from the city of Zaragoza.

This simulation from https://eclipse2026spain.es/ shows the Moon’s shadow passing over Spain.

Some useful links

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_eclipse_of_August_12,_2026
Simulation: https://eclipse2026spain.es
Lots of Info: https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/solar/2026-august-12
Best places in Spain: https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/spain?iso=20260812
The NASA Solar eclipse site, sadley is no longer maintained but remains a great source of historical and general eclipse information.

Episode 131: Space Weather and the Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad in India

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Professor Pallamraju at cospar2025.org

We are increasingly aware of the impact of space weather on spacecraft in space and, occasionally, on electrical power transmission on Earth, but what about its impact on the Earth’s atmosphere? That is exactly the research interest of Professor Pallam Raju, Dean of the Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad, India. Founded in 1947, the PRL is one of India’s most prestigious scientific institutions, not least because it was founded by Dr Vikram Sarabhai.

In this conversation, recorded in Nicosia during COSPAR2025.ORG the topics we discussed include

  • Professor Pallam Raju’s transition from theoretical physics to experimental aeronomy (science of the upper atmosphere) was inspired by childhood curiosity about the sky and optics.
  • Professor Raju’s innovative optical instruments to detect faint atmospheric airglow and aurora against the overpowering glare of the sun.
  • His extensive fieldwork includes research in Antarctica, Greenland, and Norway, as well as the use of high-altitude balloons for ultraviolet measurements.
  • The impact of space weather involves solar particles hitting Earth, potentially damaging satellite electronics and disrupting vital global communications.
  • He describes how India participates in the 24/7 Global Oscillations Monitoring Group. including solar observatories at Mount Abu and Udiapur that help provide early warnings for satellite operators.
  • He describes space missions like Aditya L1 and the dual-satellite Disha project, which will comprehensively monitor solar-terrestrial interactions from space.

Episode 130: Mobile solar powerbank for satellites in orbit

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Space Power Ltd, founded in 2019, is developing a novel solution for contactless power delivery using high-intensity lasers to extend the lifespans of ageing satellites in space. I spoke with its founder, Keval Dattani, in Nicosia during Cospar2025.org. Some of the topics we covered include

Keval Dattani - Founder Space Power Ltd with Gurbir Singh
Keval Dattani – Founder Space Power Ltd with Gurbir Singh
  • Satellites have shorter lifespans due to battery degradation and ageing solar panels.
  • During eclipses, satellites panic and must switch off systems due to the loss of sunlight power.
  • The SPL solution is a “second sun,” shining light onto panels to top up power quicker.
  • SPL’s innovation is tuning the laser light to the exact “colours” that solar panels best absorb.
  • This engineered light charges panels faster than 1.4 kW/m² from the natural, untuned sun.
  • The power beam is universally compatible, working with any brand, material, or type of existing solar panel.
  • Expensive lunar lander missions often last only weeks, failing to survive the super-cold lunar night.
  • All this happens wirelessly, from a safe distance, using a powerful laser to transfer power.
  • This solution could one day be used for interplanetary missions, including, for example, powering a lunar lander from lunar orbit to survive a lunar night.

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Episode 129: Space Law

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Professor Kai-Uwe-Schrogl. Cyprus November 2025

Professor Kai-Uwe Schrogl is a space law expert with experience in many roles, including working with the European Space Agency ESA, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and as the Director of the European Space Policy Institute (ESPI) in Vienna.

In this interview, recorded in Nicosia during cospar2025.org in November 2025, he discusses concerns about the lack of a universally accepted framework for behaviour and governance for the anticipated increase in commercial missions to the lunar surface by nations and companies.

In this discussion, we cover

  • Space law establishes outer space and the Moon as a global common, mandated by the 1967 Outer Space Treaty‘s principles of non-appropriation.
  • Outer space is a global common, like Antarctica, the high sea, and the deep seabed, intentionally protected from national appropriation.
  • Commercial interests and some nations are attempting to undermine the non-appropriation principle to claim resources, especially through lunar mining.
  • The beneficial 1979 Moon Agreement, which enables resource mining through a shared international regime, has not received widespread state ratification.
  • Lack of coordination among numerous state and private lunar missions risks conflicts over attractive sites and complicates the necessary oversight by the state.
  • The urgent need for Space Traffic Management (STM) is highlighted by the threat of Kessler syndrome, caused by growing space debris and mega-constellations.
  • States must harmonise national space licensing regulations to prevent competitive advantages arising from low standards and to avoid the use of flags of convenience.
  • Competing lunar governance approaches, including the Artemis Accords and the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), demonstrate a lack of unified coordination and early signs that the UN’s Action Team on Lunar Activities Consultation may be the needed, universally agreed governance framework.

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