Total Solar Eclipse of August 12, 2026

Totality crosses Greenland, western Iceland and northern Spain. A partial eclipse covers most of Europe, northwestern Africa, easternmost North America and the Arctic.

This is the first total solar eclipse visible from mainland Europe since 1999, and the same night belongs to the Perseids: the shower peaks within about a day of the eclipse under a new moon. One night, two of the sky's best events. See our Perseids guide for the double bill.

Where the shadow goes

The Moon's shadow first touches Earth over the Arctic Ocean, clips northeastern Greenland, sweeps south across the Denmark Strait to western Iceland (Reykjavik stands inside the path), then curves southeast across the Atlantic to make landfall in northern Spain, where totality arrives with the Sun hanging low in the evening sky. The shadow leaves Earth near the Balearic Islands around sunset.

For an interactive map of the track open our Eclipse Explorer, or take the Eclipse Control Center, which gives your distance and bearing to the nearest stretch of the path over land, your own contact times to the second, and a live view of the shadow crossing Earth.

Timeline at the point of greatest eclipse

These contact times apply at the single point where the eclipse is deepest; along the rest of the track they shift by minutes to hours. The location panel below computes them for your own coordinates.

Central durations here are computed at the point of greatest eclipse with the engine's standard solar and lunar radii; published limb-corrected path maxima can differ by a few seconds.

Iceland or Spain?

The two realistic land choices pull in opposite directions. Iceland gets the higher Sun, about 25 degrees up, but August in Reykjavik brings roughly three chances in four of cloud. Northern Spain flips the odds: clear evenings are far more likely, but totality arrives with the Sun barely 10 degrees above the west-northwest horizon, sinking to a few degrees by the Balearic Islands, so scouting an open sightline matters as much as the forecast. The reference timeline above applies at the point of greatest eclipse, out in the Denmark Strait between Greenland and Iceland; the table below gives computed local circumstances for three places people will actually stand.

Times are local (Iceland runs on UTC year-round; Spain is on CEST, UTC+2, in August). Weather odds are climatology, not a forecast: check the real forecast in the final days and stay mobile if you can.

What a total solar eclipse is

In a total solar eclipse the Moon covers the whole face of the Sun. Along a narrow track called the path of totality, day turns briefly to deep twilight, the brightest stars and planets come out, and the Sun's corona, its outer atmosphere, hangs visibly around the black disk of the Moon. Outside the path, observers see only a partial eclipse, which is interesting but not remotely the same event.

Eye safety is not optional

Looking at the Sun without proper protection damages the retina painlessly and permanently. For every partial phase of a solar eclipse, and for the whole of an annular eclipse, you need eclipse glasses that meet the ISO 12312-2 standard, or a pinhole projector, or a solar filter fitted to the FRONT of any binoculars or telescope. Sunglasses, smoked glass, exposed film and stacked filters are not safe, no matter how dark.

The single exception: during the minutes of totality in a total solar eclipse, when the Moon completely covers the Sun, it is safe and unforgettable to look with the naked eye. The instant the first sliver of Sun returns, the glasses go back on.

Frequently asked questions

When was the total solar eclipse of August 2026?

Greatest eclipse came on August 12, 2026 at 17:45 UTC. What an observer saw depended on where they stood; the location panel on this page still computes any spot's local timeline.

Where was the August 2026 solar eclipse visible?

Totality crosses Greenland, western Iceland and northern Spain. A partial eclipse covers most of Europe, northwestern Africa, easternmost North America and the Arctic.

Do I need eclipse glasses for this eclipse?

Yes, for every partial phase. Only during the minutes of totality, with the Sun completely hidden inside the path, is it safe to look without protection. Outside the path of totality, protection is required the whole time.

What is a Saros series?

Eclipses repeat in families called Saros series: 6,585.3 days (about 18 years 11 days) after any eclipse, the Sun, Moon and lunar nodes return to nearly the same geometry and produce a near-copy shifted a third of the way around Earth. This eclipse belongs to Saros series 126. Our Saros cycle profile explains the whole mechanism.

Keep exploring: the Eclipse Control Center for a live console on this eclipse as it happens, the Eclipse Explorer for any date and location, our Saros cycle profile for why eclipses repeat, its longer partners the inex and the exeligmos that together sort every eclipse into families, the eclipse year of 346 days that sets the rhythm of eclipse seasons, and how eclipses work from first principles.

Other eclipses on the calendar

Every eclipse below is engine-verified against the same catalog, so the times are directly comparable.