Total Solar Eclipse: Spanish Culture and Natural Wonders

Join us for a journey through central Spain to witness the total solar eclipse on August 12, 2026. Stay five nights in a restored hilltop castle and view the eclipse from its rooftop. The length of totality at our viewing site is one minute and 37 seconds. 

During the trip, Dr. Michael Person ’92, SM ’01, PD '06, PhD ’06 will lead a series of presentations and informal discussions; local expert guides will lead daily tours.

The trip features active exploration including city walking tours, kayaking, hiking, and visits to historical and cultural sites. Explore Madrid and Segovia with local expert guides. Tour Atapuerca, a UNESCO World Heritage site, where the earliest known human ancestors in Europe, were discovered. Learn about and taste the science behind the wine making; kayak the gorges carved by the Duratón River; and hike the forests of Guadarrama National Park. 

This trip is open to curious travelers aged 14 and older, so consider bringing your high school and college-age family members. We are sharing this program with alumni from Stanford University. An optional pre-tour extension and post-tour extension are available.

MIT Enrichment Lecturer

Dr. Michael Person the director of the MIT Wallace Astrophysical Observatory (located in Westford,MA) and a senior lecturer in the MIT Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences. An alumnus himself, Dr. Person received his S.B., S.M., and Ph.D. degrees from MIT. His specialty is observational astronomy, especially as applied to various bodies throughout our solar system. He has used most of the great telescopes around the world in his studies of these distant objects, but frequently prefers mobile platforms—including small telescopes deployed from vehicles driven to remote locations as well as NASA's recently retired SOFIA airborne observatory—which allow him to obtain data on events only visible from specific points on the Earth. Dr. Person has directed observations using portable telescopes for scientific campaigns focusing on the sun’s corona during the total solar eclipses of 2017, 2021, and 2023. He's also active in the amateur astronomy community, frequently giving talks to schools, museums, and sidewalk star parties about the night sky, and the promise of astronomy. Dr. Person will be accompanied by his wife Jennifer Catelli ’92, an alumna of the Institute and local AP Physics and Chemistry teacher in Plymouth, MA who also specializes in astronomy education and outreach.

“One of things that drives my interest in astronomy is its potential to connect us all. Regardless of our geographic, social, or political differences, we all live under the same sky. Indeed, even our distant ancestors mostly saw the same sights in the sky overhead as we can see now, although with a greatly different context. During this trip, I'll discuss some of the history of eclipse observations, how we've come to know what we now understand about the sun, current solar research, and how to safely get the most out of our own personal observations of this incredible event.” --Dr. Michael Person

Reservations are now open – reserve your space today! Read more about the trip. 

• Please note that the MIT Alumni Travel Program does not conduct tours. MIT Alumni Travel acts as a facilitator with tour operators; tour participants work directly with the tour operators to make travel arrangements.
• For more details, please see About the Travel Program.
• Also, check out our What to Expect page.
• MIT travelers are strongly encouraged to purchase travel insurance. Travelers are free to use any insurance company they prefer. For questions about trip insurance through Meyer Insurance, please call 866-679-7836.