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Skateboarder Pulls off the Trick of a Lifetime by Perfectly Timing a Jump With the Solar Eclipse

By Regina Sienra on August 13, 2026

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A post shared by Danny Leon 🦁 (@danny_leon)

On August 12, 2026, a solar eclipse plunged parts of Europe into darkness, from Iceland to Spain. In Spain, the astronomical event resulted in breathtaking images of the moon covering the sun over various locations including Valencia’s City of Arts and Sciences, Burgos Cathedral, and Zaragoza’s Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar. But for all the architectural splendor, no shot has sparked as much awe as the one starring skateboarder Danny León, who perfectly timed a jump trick with the solar eclipse.

León, who competed in the men’s park event at the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympic Games, planned this shot for a long time. With the eclipse lasting only around a minute shortly before sunset in Spain, there was no room for error.

To capture this epic moment, León enlisted filmmaker Gonzalo González De Vega, whose portfolio shows a unique knack for capturing striking images of skateboarders at sunset. Rounding out the team was photographer José Ángel Izquierdo, an expert in photo planning who has turned the sun and bright full moons into powerful backdrops.

The now-viral clip shows León skating a half pipe, which almost matches the curvature of the moon. Once he jumps, his moves are spectacularly framed by the sun’s corona—a move he has described as “the trick of his life.” He wrote on Instagram, “First the sun, then the moon, and today we’re making history with this eclipse.”

As for the creative team, they called it the most epic day of their lives, and can be seen hugging with excitement in behind-the-scenes footage. “Dreams come true,” added González De Vega. “We were dreaming [of] this day for months now. I was so lucky that [León] and [Izquierdo] loved the idea of building something for the eclipse.”

Watch this once-in-a-lifetime shot in the video below.