The total eclipse of the Sun turned the day into night in Bragança and the moment when the light gave way to darkness, accompanied by a brief breeze, burst smiles, palms, screams and tears to the crowd.
© Reuters
12/08/2026
by
Lusa
A as the moon was covering the sun and the day was getting dark, the thousands of people concentrated at Bragança airfield were showing more enthusiasm and shouting “it’s almost” or “it’s just a little longer”.
Shortly after 7:30 p.m., and at the time the moon completely covered the sun, words like “wow”, “brutal”, “wonderful”, “spanky” or “fantastic” were heard among the crowd.
With glasses adapted and eyes placed in the sky, people, standing on their feet, lying on blankets or sitting on folding chairs, applauded the “single phenomenon” they had just seen, having, many of them, cried with emotion.
“ I was moved, I confess ", told Lusa Gustavo Leal that, after finishing the day of work, he took the car and made 120 kilometers from São João da Pesqueira, in the district of Viseu, until Bragança not to miss this moment.
Back home, because Thursday is again work day, Gustavo Leal confessed to go from “full heart”.
About what he felt during the total eclipse, Gustavo Leal spoke of an “indescribable feeling”, something he cannot explain.
“ I felt a slight breeze, which was good, but when the light disappeared it gave me impression ", explained.
Also Pedro Costa, resident in Lisbon, felt a “light wind” for seconds.
“ It was a great show, it was something unique, totally matched the expectations ", pointed out.
Not knowing if he will see another, Pedro Costa recorded the moment in a camera to stay for posterity and remember “for ever” what he saw.
Reporting a “phenomenal” moment, Austelina Rego, who lives in Bragança, confided that when she felt the slight wind she asked him to take everything wrong with him.
“ I’m sure he took it,” he said, insisting on having “even adored”.
Jacinta Afonso, from Customs of the Faith, also loved it, who said that nothing he can say translates what he saw.
“ It was magnificent, there are no words, tears began to fall, it was even better than expected ", shot.
Among the crowd there were already those who, after this moment “so brutal”, would consider going to see the total eclipse of the Sun that will take place in August 2027 in southern Spain.
At the end, and just after 8:00 p.m., people began to pack their blankets, lunchboxes, folding chairs or umbrellas and to leave the airfield to, many of them said, “overcome with joy.”.
In Portugal, today's solar eclipse was total (100%) only in a restricted area of Montesinho Natural Park, near Bragança.
In the rest of the country, the eclipse was partial, from 92% to 99% throughout the continental territory and from 74% to 77% in the Autonomous Regions of the Azores and Madeira.
A total eclipse of the Sun occurs when the Earth, the Moon and the Sun are perfectly aligned, and the Moon completely hides the solar disk for a few moments.