Latin American eclipse hunter hopes to see his 20th event in Torreón

Alejandro Arroyo, the Latin American who has seen the most total eclipses in the world, came to Torreón to witness his 20th event.

He is neither an astronomer nor a researcher, but after observing his first eclipse 30 years ago, this Chilean art historian was amazed and has since sought to pursue these phenomena around the world.

Arroyo has been to all five continents and even flew over the South Atlantic to see an eclipse from a plane. His hobby as an “eclipse hunter” began in Putre, a small community in Chile of around 700 people, which was overwhelmed by the thousands of visitors it received.

“I was very impressed by how the environment reacts, the environment, the people, how the light changes, those elements made me excited, this becomes a hobby, I am not an astronomer or scientist, it is not my area of ​​work, I “I am an art historian, I am dedicated to cultural production, but it is so fascinating that you can see that it made me click, on that occasion, and I looked for where the next one would be.”he commented.

The logistical preparation of a hunter for these events began several years ago, so currently flights and accommodation have already begun to be marketed for the one that will take place in Egypt in 2027, there are even already prices for another one that will be in 2029.

As a recommendation for La Laguna residents, he asked them not to improvise and to define early on the site where they will see the eclipse, since the worst that can happen to them is that they miss the event due to travel saturation, among other factors.

From his profession, Arroyo pointed out that eclipses in visual arts are not so represented, however, he considers interesting the vision that children have of this event, which has evolved with the information they have received, since in the Middle Ages they were images dark stories that spoke of evil and harm to people, but today they are about positive aspects, after advances in research where it has been reported that they do not cause any harm.

“The only physical damage is when one does not wear the corresponding glasses, from the point of view of the retina”he clarified.