• From the 10^th to the 14^th of August, the congresses “New Frontiers in Cosmology”, which will count with leading figures in this scientific field, and “Third Solar MHD Conference”, centred around Solar Physics, will be held.
• The Universidade da Coruña will also host several dissemination activities throughout the following months aimed at the general public.

A Coruña, April 28^th, 2026

From the 10^th to the 14^th of August, the Universidade da Coruña will host two international conferences, the Third Solar MHD Conference and New Frontiers in Cosmology, coinciding with the solar eclipse. These two gatherings for specialists in the field are being organised in collaboration with the Universidade da Coruña.

Thus, from 10 to 14 August 2026, the UDC Auditorium will become the venue for an international cosmology conference, organised by the Berkeley Centre for Cosmological Physics (University of California, Berkeley), the Simons Foundation and the Universidade da Coruña. During that week, more than 300 leading researchers from countries around the world will gather at the University Rectorate.

At a time when cosmology is making significant strides thanks to the availability of vast amounts of data from cutting-edge experiments such as DESI, Euclid, Rubin, the Simons Observatory and others that are revolutionising this field of science, this conference will serve as a platform to discuss how new techniques, particularly in data analysis using artificial intelligence, can take our understanding to new horizons.

During the same period, the UDC’s ICT Research Centre (CITIC) on the Elviña Campus will host the Third Solar MHD Conference, an event focusing on solar physics with a practical approach. The MHD Conference agenda is specialised, covering advanced topics such as eclipse and coronal observations, the use of machine learning and big data in solar physics, as well as multi-fluid plasma models.

An educational programme to help us learn more about our sky

In terms of public outreach, the UDC’s Science Communication Unit is launching several initiatives to provide the general public with insights to help them better understand this phenomenon, as well as recommendations on how to view it effectively and enjoy the experience safely.

The first of these will take place this week, coinciding with the fact that on the 30^th of April the Sun’s position will be practically a mirror of the one that’s predicted for the coming 12^th of August, making it a good opportunity to identify the best vantage points. In this case, the activity is aimed at the university community and will take place at the Planetarium of the Higher Technical School of Nautical Science and Marine Engineering. On the 29^th, the venue will host the session “Navigating the Stars”, led by Alsira Salgado and Ángel Arós.

A session that will combine showcasing the value of the planetarium as a scientific and educational resource and its usefulness for understanding the sky and astronomy linked to navigation, with scientific explanations related to the eclipse on August 12^th, including the keys to good observation and the safety measures that must be taken to do so properly and responsibly.

The University’s podcast, Onda Ciencia, has produced an episode entitled “How to experience an eclipse? What does astronomy tell us?”, available via this link. The episode features Ángel Arós, Xabier Pérez Couto, Alsira Salgado and Susana García Barros, researchers at the University of A Coruña, who explain the scientific key points of the total eclipse due to take place on August 12^th.

Finally, Xabier Pérez Couto (@astroxabi), a pre-doctoral researcher at CITIC, a member of the Interdisciplinary Laboratory for Artificial Intelligence Applications (LIA2) and a participant in the Smart Data project for a multicolour analysis of the Milky Way in Gaia, will lead the workshop “When the Moon Blocks the Sun: the great eclipse of 2026 in A Coruña”, to be held in June at the MUNCYT.

The workshop will combine an accessible explanation regarding the eclipse, during which the scientific aspects associated with this phenomenon will be explained, with guidance on a safe observation of the event.