By Corina Pons and Tom Little
MADRID/REYKJAVIK, Aug 12 (Reuters) - Millions of people gathered in Iceland and northern Spain to witness Europe's first total solar eclipse in 27 years on Wednesday, with Spanish officials warning people to avoid areas where a heatwave has raised the risk of wildfires.
Authorities were expecting up to 6 million visitors in mostly rural areas within the eclipse's path across the north of Spain and the Balearic Islands, said Juan Cruz, Spain's Secretary of State for Science.
"I hope that tonight will see the emergence of a wonderful generation of astrophysicists," he said. "It's such a special moment."
The eclipse will be quickly followed by the sunset in Spain, making the event particularly alluring.
POLICE, PLANES AND HELICOPTERS ARE ON STANDBY
The uncanny sensation when day briefly turns into twilight and some animals fall quiet as the moon passes directly between Earth and the Sun was often treated as an omen in the past, a cosmic struggle or a sign of divine power.
Now, Spain sees it as a chance to showcase seldom-visited regions and draw tourists away from its overcrowded beach resorts, while also rolling out a massive police operation and public safety campaign to prevent them causing wildfires.
Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska told reporters 25,000 police officers had been assigned to guarantee security around the eclipse observation while nearly 100 planes and helicopters were also being deployed.
He called on citizens to follow the eclipse from the 350 observation points set up by authorities and abide by the restrictions set up around some parks. "Let's not forget that the wildfire risk is very high, it's extreme due to high temperatures", he said.
The Iberian Peninsula last saw a total solar eclipse in 1912. It is set to experience another one on August 2, 2027, and an annular eclipse in January 2028, completing the so-called "Iberian Eclipse Trio."
ECLIPSE FEVER IN THE LAND OF SAGAS
In Iceland's capital Reykjavik, eclipse glasses to allow people to look at the phenomenon without damaging their eyes have been sold out for days as the Nordic country of roughly 400,000 people expects to welcome up to 80,000 visitors.
A narrow path of totality will reach Iceland's westernmost coast at about 5:44 p.m. (1744 GMT), before the moon's shadow races east.
Totality will last up to 2 minutes and 13 seconds in the far west, though most cities will see shorter periods of darkness. Authorities have warned of heavy traffic and urged viewers to arrive early.
Singer Björk was due to perform a DJ set at an eclipse-themed event south of Reykjavik.
U.S. space agency NASA plans to fly a high-altitude WB-57 aircraft from Iceland to follow the moon's shadow, and NASA-funded teams will launch balloons to study how the sudden darkness and cooling affect the lower atmosphere.
"Oh man, it's so cool," said Krista Kern, a visitor from North Carolina who described her expectations of totality as a "whole-body feeling," though adding she was nervous about the Icelandic weather.
Skies over Iceland were overcast on Wednesday with the Icelandic Met office predicting clouds and rain for much of the path of the eclipse, adding that the best chances of breaks in the solid cover were expected in the northwest of the country.
CHASING THE SHADOW
Aside from casual observers, the event also draws "eclipse chasers", enthusiasts who crisscross the globe to be in the path of totality whenever an eclipse occurs.
Gordon Telepun, a retired plastic surgeon and amateur astronomer from the U.S. who has photographed six total eclipses, said he would watch from the island of Mallorca because Spain checked all the boxes for eclipse chasers.
"It has pretty reasonable weather chances in August, a decent totality duration at over one-and-a-half minutes and is easy to travel to," he said.
(Reporting by Corina Pons, David Latona, Joan Faus and Guillermo Martinez in Spain; Tom Little in Iceland and Stine Jacobsen in Denmark; Writing by David Latona and Niklas Pollard; Editing by Andrei Khalip, Nick Zieminski and Philippa Fletcher)
