Spain darkens as solar eclipse races south from Arctic

A total solar eclipse on Wednesday plunged Spain’s Segovia into daytime darkness for 59 seconds.

It was a moment of awe shared by millions across Europe: an eclipse that blocked out the sun, plunging parts of the Continent into a daytime darkness in which temperatures dropped and birds suddenly went quiet.

Millions of people across Europe stepped outside Wednesday to witness a rare total solar eclipse, as the moon's shadow swept across Greenland, Iceland and northern Spain in the first total eclipse to touch mainland Europe in 27 years.

Meanwhile, a rush to buy solar eclipse glasses saw hundreds queuing in shops.