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<v Speaker 1>Millions of people are preparing to watch Wednesday's total solar eclipse,

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<v Speaker 1>which will be visible across parts of Europe and the Arctic.

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<v Speaker 1>Here in the UK, there'll be around ninety percent coverage

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<v Speaker 1>of the Sun. As our science correspondent Palab Ghosh explains.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm in northern Spain, which is going to be experiencing

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<v Speaker 2>a total eclipse. So essentially what happens is that the Earth,

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<v Speaker 2>the Moon and the Sun completely aligned. The Moon blocks

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<v Speaker 2>out the bright disk of the Sun and what we

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<v Speaker 2>see is the Sun's corona. And those excited people witnessed

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<v Speaker 2>an incredible sight. Now, not everyone is going to see this.

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<v Speaker 2>If you're in either side of the path of totality,

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<v Speaker 2>you'll see what's called a partial eclipse. Of people in

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<v Speaker 2>the UK will experience that, but even that is particularly spectacular.

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<v Speaker 1>So Palam is in Spain, which is going to be

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<v Speaker 1>one of the best places to see it, as is

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<v Speaker 1>the astronomer and science communicator Nigel Henbest and his wife

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<v Speaker 1>Bridget Brown. Hello to both, I am so you've traveled

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<v Speaker 1>to Spain searching basically for the perfect spot? Have you

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<v Speaker 1>found the perfect spot? First of all, okay.

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<v Speaker 3>You never know about the weather. I mean, as an astronomer,

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<v Speaker 3>I can tell you exactly where and when you're going

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<v Speaker 3>to see the totality. But the weather is always fingers crossed.

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<v Speaker 3>But we are just to the north of Ridgridge in

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<v Speaker 3>La Rioca as well, village called Santa Mingo dela Cazada.

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<v Speaker 3>It's cloudy around the coast of Spain. We've got a

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<v Speaker 3>fingers cross it's going to be clear inland.

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<v Speaker 1>Okay, we hope, we hope for the best for you there.

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<v Speaker 1>So just first of all, then Nigel talk us through

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<v Speaker 1>what is it that's special about what we're going to

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<v Speaker 1>see tomorrow.

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<v Speaker 3>When the moon moves right in front of the sound,

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<v Speaker 3>as Palad just said, it blocks out the sun itself.

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<v Speaker 3>So that familiar sun in our sky disappears into my

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<v Speaker 3>mind as if an alien being has put something crazy

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<v Speaker 3>in the sky in its place, a black center, and

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<v Speaker 3>then the rays of the corona coming out and look

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<v Speaker 3>like something we've never seen before. Take away the sun,

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<v Speaker 3>put something totally agent in in its place. And I'm

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<v Speaker 3>a scientists, but it kissed me.

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<v Speaker 4>In the gut.

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<v Speaker 1>Bridget what about you? What do you like about this?

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<v Speaker 4>So I'm not an academic or a scientist. I'm just

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<v Speaker 4>an everyday person working for the county. I had seen

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<v Speaker 4>several eclipse but not total, and I thought, what is

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<v Speaker 4>the big deal about a total I've seen six, I've

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<v Speaker 4>seen ninety eight percent coverage. And my husband kept insisting,

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<v Speaker 4>you have to see totality or it will change you.

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<v Speaker 4>So in Arkansas that two and a half years ago,

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<v Speaker 4>we drove through eight stakes, up and down searching for

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<v Speaker 4>the perfect spot. Cloud covers, word, and pivot. I heard

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<v Speaker 4>several times, and when I saw my first total eclipse,

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<v Speaker 4>I totally got it. I'm hooked and now I'm eclipse chaser.

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<v Speaker 1>Chaser. Sorry to jump in there, bridge an eclipse chaser.

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<v Speaker 1>I like it. So this is this is what you

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<v Speaker 1>plan to do. Wherever you can get the best viewing spot.

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<v Speaker 1>You're going to travel then.

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<v Speaker 4>If way is necessary, I'm going to do my best

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<v Speaker 4>to get there.

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<v Speaker 3>So produce is a read book to cruise the Mediterranean

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<v Speaker 3>for next year when we have the longest the clipse

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<v Speaker 3>of this century that we're looking at, plans against Sydney

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<v Speaker 3>for the year after. So yeah, yeah, one driving expeditions.

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<v Speaker 4>Now I think my daughter Sophine Sarah will be with

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<v Speaker 4>me on the next eclipse. Because once you see it.

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<v Speaker 4>You're always going to want to see Tor Talent.

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<v Speaker 1>I love it. This just seems like a good excuse

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<v Speaker 1>for a good jolly and a good holiday as far

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<v Speaker 1>as I can hear. But absolutely all here for it.

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<v Speaker 1>That is wonderful. And just talk us to a little

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<v Speaker 1>bit of the science theory. As you mentioned, we got

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<v Speaker 1>the explanation from Palab there talking at Nigel, but just

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<v Speaker 1>tell us a bit more about the significance of how

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<v Speaker 1>this works and why.

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<v Speaker 3>We normally can't see the Sun's out atmosphere the corona

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<v Speaker 3>at all. It's a million times fainter than the Sun's

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<v Speaker 3>surface with a blue sky in the way, you can

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<v Speaker 3>never see it from the Earth's surface. Now, we do

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<v Speaker 3>have satellites in space which can take images of the

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<v Speaker 3>solar corona, but they find it difficult. Just say that

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<v Speaker 3>close juncture close to price surface of the Sun and

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<v Speaker 3>really faint corona so it clips when the moon sharp

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<v Speaker 3>ridge cots it off. Mean you can see the details

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<v Speaker 3>down right near the Sun's surface we can never see

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<v Speaker 3>any other way. So it's not just something amazing for

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<v Speaker 3>us to see that. There's serious science going on to

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<v Speaker 3>understand the solar wind, which is the stream of particles

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<v Speaker 3>coming out from the Sun, solar flares which are eruptions

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<v Speaker 3>on the Sun's surface, great explosions, and then the solar

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<v Speaker 3>weather these storms on some which can affect us on

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<v Speaker 3>the Earth. They can affect communications, They can knock out

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<v Speaker 3>satellites which relay television and other signals back to the Earth.

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<v Speaker 3>So understanding space weather and be able to predict it

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<v Speaker 3>as very important consequences for us on Earth.

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<v Speaker 1>Fascinating. Nigel Bridget, brilliant to speak to you, and good

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<v Speaker 1>luck tomorrow for finding the right spot. We hope you do.

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<v Speaker 1>Thank you so much, thank you, thank you, thank you.

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<v Speaker 1>And if you're not traveling around Spain right now looking

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<v Speaker 1>for the perfect spot, then join us tomorrow here BBC

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<v Speaker 1>News special live coverage from our teams of reporters on

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<v Speaker 1>the path of the eclipse as it happens live here

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<v Speaker 1>BBC News from five o'clock tomorrow