When NASA needed a spot in Spain to broadcast the total solar eclipse on 12 August, it did not pick Madrid or Barcelona. Instead, the US space agency chose Villalibado, a hamlet in the northern province of Burgos that was deserted for nearly three decades before being brought back to life as a rural tourism project.
The village, with its Romanesque church of San Salvador and stone houses, will host a team of almost thirty scientists and technicians from NASA and the Exploratorium, the San Francisco science museum. They will set up their observation point next to the church, in the upper part of the village, and beam live images to audiences worldwide through NASA's digital platforms and the Exploratorium's website and YouTube channel.
Why Villalibado?
The choice came after more than a year of quiet reconnaissance. Joan Ansótegui, the businessman who bought Villalibado two decades ago and restored it with his siblings, told Diario de Burgos that NASA had contacted him months ago to rent the entire village for the event. "I thought it was a scam," he recalled of the initial phone call.
Ansótegui explained that NASA teams had toured many locations along the path of totality in Spain before settling on Villalibado. "They went without telling anyone and chose it after visiting many other places," he said. The village offered three key advantages: it lies directly in the path of totality, it has an unobstructed horizon, and it already has fibre-optic internet connections, which the broadcast requires.
"They have only asked for a dedicated electricity and network supply, of course, but as we already have fibre-optic connections in the village there has been no problem," Ansótegui noted.
From ghost village to global showcase
Villalibado's last two residents left in 1998, and the village fell silent until Ansótegui and his family stepped in. They transformed the abandoned hamlet into a rural tourism complex, restoring its houses and the church. Now, the eclipse will put this tiny corner of Castilla y León on the world stage.
The 12 August total solar eclipse will cross Greenland, Iceland, the Atlantic Ocean, and parts of Spain, Portugal, and northern Russia. Elsewhere in Europe and across much of the northern hemisphere, skywatchers will see a partial eclipse. For Spain, this is the first total solar eclipse in over a century, and the event has already sparked an accommodation rush in the regions along the path.
NASA's broadcast will begin at 10:30 Pacific Time (19:30 in mainland Spain) and will feature live coverage of the eclipse, interviews with specialists, and updates on several scientific experiments planned for the day. The feed will also be distributed to other international media outlets, and the material will later be used for educational purposes.
For those planning to watch in person, experts recommend using certified eclipse glasses to protect your eyes. Free certified glasses are being distributed at some locations in Spain, and airlines are even getting in on the action: Iberia has chartered a special flight that will chase the eclipse from 30,000 feet.
Villalibado's transformation from a forgotten village to a NASA broadcast hub is a testament to how rural Europe can find new purpose. As Ansótegui put it, the village is now "a place from which millions of people will follow one of the most eagerly awaited astronomical events of recent years."
