Total darkness, then sunset as full eclipse wows spectators in Spain

Spectators across Spain watched in wonder, some whipping off their protective glasses and rising to their feet in unison, as a rare total ​solar eclipse swept across the north of the country on Wednesday evening, plunging it into darkness.

Spain deployed a massive police contingent and set up special viewing spots across rural ‌areas that offered the best views of the spectacle.

Viewers in Buitrago de Lozoya, a rural district north of Madrid, clapped and cheered as the sky dimmed and Baily's beads - bright points of sunlight that shine around the edge of the moon during a total eclipse - glistened on the horizon just after 8:30 p.m. (1830 GMT), lasting barely a minute.

"It's impressive how the colours return little by little after totality - first the reds, then the blues - just like at dawn and sunset, totally ​deceiving your brain," said economist Diego Fernandez, 32.

Rafael Jiménez, 50, a resident of Madrid, said the event felt like science fiction. "It was an absurd scene; we even got soaked when the ​garden sprinklers kicked in," he said. "And then, just like that, we were watching the sunset again."

Spain's turn with the eclipse followed shortly after a less remarkable ⁠spectacle over much of overcast Iceland, although a break in the clouds in the far west of the Nordic country allowed holidaymakers and locals a glimpse of the celestial phenomenon. The eclipse was hidden behind clouds ​in central Reykjavik although the darkness of the totality was still evident.

"It was like a whole day just came at once and I felt goosebumps because it just made us think about ... the shortness of ​life, how time can be different and it depends on your perspective," lawyer Eduarda Ortiz, 33, told Reuters in the Icelandic capital.

Millions of people gathered in Iceland and northern Spain to witness Western Europe's first total solar eclipse in 27 years.

Brian May, former guitarist for the rock band Queen, was among them. He travelled to an observatory in Spain's Teruel province and chronicled the experience on his Instagram page.

"Here we go, the sun is disappearing. It’s amazing," he said as the ​eclipse reached its climax and bystanders burst into cheers and applause after a countdown.

In Spain, authorities were expecting up to 6 million visitors in mostly rural areas under the eclipse's path across the north of ​Spain and the Balearic Islands.