1
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
F. Sánchez, The Rise of Astrophysics in Modern Spain, Astronomers’ Universe,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-66426-8_1
1
Perhaps It All Began with an Eclipse
(1959–1961)
An eclipse of the sun, one of the most awe-inspiring and impressive spectacles
of nature, has always surprised, excited, moved, and terrorized humanity. I
have witnessed them on several occasions. That the celestial lamp which gives
us light, warmth, and life should suddenly vanish, bringing night in the middle of the day, is at once unnerving, dramatic, and mysterious! What if the
sudden darkness were to last forever? All periods and cultures have sought
advantage from such fearsome events. To be able to ‘divine’ such a happening
was crucial and evident proof of possessing direct and special communication
with the gods. Being able to predict an eclipse was a powerful accomplishment that undoubtedly spurred the development of astronomy.
Today’s scientists still continue to observe total eclipses, which provide
good opportunities to make measurements in very special conditions. The few
minutes of totality, with the sun’s disc covered by the moon, are used the better to observe the solar corona and other celestial objects. There are dedicated
amateur and professional astronomers who chase eclipses. That is why, on the
occasion of the 1959 eclipse, which was seen in totality in the Canaries,
astronomers and astrophysicists from the world over flocked to the archipelago.
I have taken upon myself the task of writing the history of the spectacular
birth and flowering of astrophysics in Spain and following the path of the
great advances experienced during the latter half of the twentieth century in
our understanding of the Universe. On the assumption that the 1959 total
eclipse of the sun in the Canaries might be considered to mark the birth of
astrophysics in Spain, I have decided to begin the story with that event. The
establishment and subsequent burgeoning of this branch of science in Spain
is another story that will gradually unfold in later chapters of the book.
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
F. Sánchez, The Rise of Astrophysics in Modern Spain, Astronomers’ Universe,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-66426-8_1
1
Perhaps It All Began with an Eclipse
(1959–1961)
An eclipse of the sun, one of the most awe-inspiring and impressive spectacles
of nature, has always surprised, excited, moved, and terrorized humanity. I
have witnessed them on several occasions. That the celestial lamp which gives
us light, warmth, and life should suddenly vanish, bringing night in the middle of the day, is at once unnerving, dramatic, and mysterious! What if the
sudden darkness were to last forever? All periods and cultures have sought
advantage from such fearsome events. To be able to ‘divine’ such a happening
was crucial and evident proof of possessing direct and special communication
with the gods. Being able to predict an eclipse was a powerful accomplishment that undoubtedly spurred the development of astronomy.
Today’s scientists still continue to observe total eclipses, which provide
good opportunities to make measurements in very special conditions. The few
minutes of totality, with the sun’s disc covered by the moon, are used the better to observe the solar corona and other celestial objects. There are dedicated
amateur and professional astronomers who chase eclipses. That is why, on the
occasion of the 1959 eclipse, which was seen in totality in the Canaries,
astronomers and astrophysicists from the world over flocked to the archipelago.
I have taken upon myself the task of writing the history of the spectacular
birth and flowering of astrophysics in Spain and following the path of the
great advances experienced during the latter half of the twentieth century in
our understanding of the Universe. On the assumption that the 1959 total
eclipse of the sun in the Canaries might be considered to mark the birth of
astrophysics in Spain, I have decided to begin the story with that event. The
establishment and subsequent burgeoning of this branch of science in Spain
is another story that will gradually unfold in later chapters of the book.