Spain's 'Galactic Shepherd' to watch total eclipse from DIY observatory

In a tiny Spanish farming village, retired shepherd Joaquin Tapioles is preparing to watch next week's first-in-a-century total ​solar eclipse from the observatory he built after being inspired by ‌the mysteries of the skies as a boy.A self-taught astronomer who ​goes by the nickname the "Galactic Shepherd", Tapioles, 67, will be watching with ​his family on August 12 from the rotating dome that juts ⁠out among San Agustin del Pozo's red-brick buildings.

The first total eclipse visible from the Iberian peninsula since 1912 is set to draw skywatchers from across Spain and abroad.

A self-taught astronomer who ​goes by the nickname the "Galactic Shepherd", Tapioles, 67, will be watching with ​his family on August 12 from the rotating dome that juts ⁠out among San Agustin del Pozo's red-brick buildings.

He operates the telescope he designed ​and assembled himself using a video game controller to track the sky.
And while he ​loves to share his decades-long passion with visitors who have donated to his project over the years, he wants to allow his family time to savour the moment.
"If people come to the ​observatory, I'll be more focused on making sure they see it than on ​watching it myself, and I'll end up missing it," he said. "I'll be watching it with my ‌family."
Tapioles ⁠said his fascination with the night sky began as a child while helping his father tend sheep before dawn.
"One time, we saw a meteor shower, and that's my first memory of being fascinated by what I was seeing. My father used ​to say they ​were stars falling ⁠from the sky," he said.
Tapioles proudly displays a NASA sticker on his telescope, a reminder of his contribution to the Deep ​Impact mission to Comet Tempel 1, launched in 2005. Like ​many amateur ⁠astronomers, he helped collect observations used to support the project, earning recognition from the U.S. space agency.
Spain is set to experience another total solar eclipse on August 2 ⁠next year - ​the longest one in Europe in the 21st ​century - and an annular eclipse in January 2028, completing the so-called "Iberian Eclipse Trio".
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-Reuters