Millions of people across Europe looked to the skies on Wednesday as the moon passed in front of the sun, plunging parts of the continent into darkness.

The spectacular celestial event was visible across a strip just less than 300km (186 miles) wide, stretching from the northwest south-eastwards to the Balearic Islands, including Mallorca. The moon’s umbra also touched a small corner of Portugal.

At the Ebro Observatory in northeastern Spain, hundreds of spectators fell silent as the moon completely covered the sun, leaving a black disc surrounded by a glowing ring. Across Europe, the spectacle prompted cheers, applause, tears and moments of stunned silence.

The total solar eclipse began in northern Siberia, before the moon’s umbra swept in an arc over Greenland and Iceland, then reached Spain at about 8:30pm (18:30 GMT). A partial eclipse was meanwhile visible across other parts of Europe.

In Iceland’s capital Reykjavik, clouds and rain obscured much of the total eclipse. Spain largely enjoyed good viewing conditions, despite temperatures approaching 40 degrees Celsius (104 degree Fahrenheit) in some areas.

A solar eclipse occurs when the sun, moon and Earth align, causing the moon’s shadow to fall on Earth. Locations within the moon’s umbra experience totality, while those in the surrounding penumbra see a partial eclipse.

During totality, the sky can become almost completely dark, with temperatures dropping and stars becoming visible as the sun is briefly blocked by the moon.