Juan Cruz Cigudosa, Secretary of State for Science: "Millions of people will come to Spain to see the 2026 eclipse."

Spain is preparing to experience a trio of eclipses unprecedented in modern history between 2026 and 2028. With just one year to go until the first of these, the total eclipse on August 12, the government has launched a committee that will mobilize 13 ministries. According to Juan Cruz Cigudosa, Secretary of State for Science, Innovation, and Universities, this will be an unprecedented organizational challenge that will require coordinating all administrations to handle the massive influx to observe the astronomical phenomenon throughout the entire eclipse's totality. This researcher in human genetics and biotechnology has been a senior official in the Ministry of Science since December 2023. In a telephone conversation with EL PAÍS, he also warns that the unpredictability of the weather "will mean that many citizens may want to change their observation location in the final hours."

Cigudosa (61 years old, San Adrián, Navarra) is the president of the newly created inter-ministerial commission. He has called its first meeting for August 28th and promises to hold new monthly meetings with senior representatives from each of the ministries involved, as well as to immediately initiate formal contacts with all affected autonomous communities. Millions of additional visitors at a time already marked by high tourist saturation, in addition to the extreme risk of fires and very common heat waves, have led the government to establish as a priority "ensuring that eclipse observation takes place in a safe and orderly manner."

Question: Why is a total eclipse a security challenge that requires 13 ministries to be mobilized to prepare for it?

Answer: First, it's the middle of August, when a huge volume of tourists will already be in Spain. In addition, many people with a keen interest in science will be coming, and they will be mobilizing toward areas with better visibility, which will also coincide with the desertification of Spain, with open spaces in the countryside, meadows, forest edges... during a period when, as we're seeing these days, the risk of fire is extremely high. These people will be moving around, driving cars, probably eating nearby, and generating certain types of waste that would need to be collected, but we're not sure that's going to happen. Furthermore, the eclipse on August 12th coincides with the night of the Perseid meteor shower's peak the following day, so we estimate that many people will stay to see both. That means a lot of movement. It's important to keep in mind that the eclipse's totality band doesn't affect large cities like Madrid and Barcelona, nor much of the coast where the most tourists flock.

Q. When we talk about so many people and so many movements, what magnitudes are we talking about?

A. It would be risky for me to give a number. And we have few precedents; but the last one we have that's comparable to our situation, let's say, was the total eclipse that occurred in France in 1999. Some estimates claim that there were three million additional tourists on the day of the eclipse. These are rather rough approximations from a numerical point of view, as we've read elsewhere that there were 10 million. And that eclipse was visible in other countries as well. In this case, the only country in the world that will have the option of observing it from inhabited territories is Spain. We'll be, at least, in that range of France in 1999; millions of people will come to Spain to see the total eclipse in 2026, that's very clear to us.

Q. During the previous total eclipse, in April 2024, a state of emergency was declared in many counties and some entire states in the US, following the incidents recorded on the previous occasion: in 2017 there were massive traffic jams, an increase in road deaths, fuel shortages at gas stations, and telecommunications network outages. Are you considering emergency measures like that?

A. We're not in that situation here. Let's remember that Spain is a country accustomed to large movements of people throughout the summer. And there's already a sufficient administrative and regulatory body in our country to try to prevent, as much as possible, what could happen to us, without resorting to declaring a state of emergency. Our country is accustomed to handling fire risk situations, so this means that on the day of the eclipse—and the days before and after—there will probably be a need for even greater reinforcement, especially given the movements that will occur.

In a system like ours, where there is absolute respect for the freedoms of all people, what we will do—when the time comes and given the likelihood of an additional risk—is to take the measures established by our civil code to protect the entire environment and the people who live in it.

Q. How is it possible to prepare such a massive event without increasing public spending? The royal decree establishing the inter-ministerial commission you chair is very clear in stating that everything will be done "with existing material and personnel resources."

A. The important task of improving coordination will have to be carried out. Our work in this first quarter of the interministerial commission's operation will be, precisely, to focus on ensuring that all available resources are organized in the best possible way so that this movement of people is as safe as possible. So, in principle, I believe that if resources ultimately aren't sufficient in some community, some type of resource movement will have to be enabled from communities that won't be affected by the eclipse and facilitate relocation. We can't establish a framework for increased spending, but we can establish a framework for optimizing resources. Especially because no total eclipse will affect the entire country; it will affect only one area of the country.

Q. There's only one year left. Aren't we a little late for all this coordination work between administrations and for an event we've known for decades was coming? Is the government expecting the affected autonomous communities and municipalities to request additional funding to address the actions under their jurisdiction?

A. Speaking not only of 2026, but also of the trio of major eclipses that will pass through Spain in 2026, 2027, and 2028, if the affected regions for each year see the need, they will have to make a budgetary modification in line with those forecasts. Let's establish a working forum where we can see exactly what resources are needed and what budgetary availability there is. But hey, we're on time. All the regions are preparing their budgets for 2026.

Q. What will be the most urgent issues on the table at the first meeting of the Interministerial Commission of the Eclipse Trio 2026-2027-2028?

A. We will need to identify recommended observation sites, a study that will allow us to compile a list of observation sites where prevention and protection measures are ensured. To do this, we will immediately contact all the autonomous communities. We have already had informal contacts with several of them.

Q. You're talking about protective measures. Is the government considering mass purchases of eclipse glasses?

A. At the moment, we don't have any kind of forecast in that regard. We will study it, but there is no decision on this. From my humble experience, the issue of logistics and preventing the movement of citizens seems more complicated to me. The manufacturing and availability of the glasses will obviously be determined by the market; but we will ensure that these types of glasses are appropriate. We will also monitor that there are no people doing business with glasses that don't meet the minimum necessary protection criteria, which approved eclipse glasses do provide. This is about avoiding counterfeiting and speculation with protective glasses [as has happened in previous total eclipses]. No one can observe the eclipse without approved glasses. And that is critical, because we are talking about possibly millions of people who could make the wrong decision not to use glasses that aren't approved.

Q. Beyond ensuring security, what other challenges does organizing this trio of eclipses pose?

A. I believe everything will be as effective as possible if we communicate clearly and transparently to society, addressing the, let's say, positive aspects. The most important thing right now is to establish all the criteria that will allow us to enjoy this cosmological phenomenon in an obvious and safe way. Communication comes first. From our perspective, at the Ministry of Science and Universities, it is a priority to highlight—with the necessary dissemination—what an eclipse means, what its effects and development are, and what it contributes to science.

Q: Previous total solar eclipses in Spain have provided a boost to astronomy in our country. The last one, seen only in the Canary Islands on October 2, 1959, led to the creation of the Teide Astronomical Observatory, the seed of the current Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands. What do you hope will be left after this historic trio of eclipses in Spain?

A. That the people on the street perceive that this is a phenomenon that has allowed science to advance and that we are prepared. I would like to see greater general support from society for the scientific world, for scientific and technological activity. Because by observing a total eclipse, one can learn that many things also arise from that experience. For example, observing previous eclipses has led to better polarization systems for the glasses we use in our daily lives.