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On August 12, 2026, Europe will experience its first total solar eclipse in 27 years.
At its greatest eclipse, the total eclipse will last 2 minutes and 18 seconds, a relatively short duration compared to the total solar eclipses in 2024 and 2027. solar eclipseIt will be visible from remote parts of Russia, eastern Greenland, western Iceland and the Iberian Peninsula. Here are the places you can witness it August 2026 total solar eclipse From Russia, Greenland, Iceland, Spain, Portugal and the Mediterranean.
Remember that it is not safe to look directly at the sun during the partial phases of the eclipse. At all times except when the sun is completely blocked. monthyou should wear solar eclipse glasses.Read our guide How to observe the sun safely.
All the way to wholeness
This total solar eclipse will have a long, wide path, rising in remote Siberia and setting just east of the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean. The journey will be 5,133 miles (8,260 kilometers), during which the moon’s central shadow will be 182 miles (293 km) wide and will take 96 minutes to pass over the planet.
Only a small portion of this path is overland, and 15.2 million people (mostly in northern Spain) are expected to witness the total eclipse that day. Time and Date.
Relating to: 16 best places to see the total solar eclipse of 2026
The path to totality in Russia
This eclipse will rise alone, from a very distant point off the northern Siberian coast. A completely eclipsed sun As seen from Siberia’s Taymyr Peninsula, it will be visible just above the northern horizon at 3:37 a.m. on the ANAT. Here, next to the Laptev Sea, the sun never sets during August, making the total darkest for a maximum of 85 seconds of the 24-hour period. Few, if any, people will witness it. The total’s path will pass through Severnaya Zemlya, an archipelago of mostly ice-covered Arctic islands, as it passes through the Vilkitsky Strait and into the Arctic Ocean.
Relating to: Eclipse 2026: Next total solar eclipse will be Europe’s first in 27 years
Total road in Greenland
After ascending from an uninhabited location, the total path will pass through one of the least populated countries. SoilGreenland has only 56,000 inhabitants, and there are few if any people living in the path of this eclipse. It passes east of the vast island, passing only through the remote settlements of Mestersvig and Nyhavn in East Greenland.
Just before the moon’s shadow leaves southeast Greenland, it will pass almost completely across Scoresby Sound, which will experience a 1 minute, 45 second eclipse, and will leave Blosseville Beach. This area is expected to host a large number of cruise ships, where eclipse chasers will compete for eclipse views among the icebergs on the Arctic voyage of a lifetime. From Scoresby and Blosseville Beach, the totally eclipsed sun will hang about 26 degrees above the western horizon.
On cruise itineraries with several nights’ accommodation, Northern Lights after midnight, but the hours of darkness in August will be minimal.
Total roads in Iceland
The “Land of Fire and Ice” will be an irresistible destination for eclipse-watching enthusiasts, with a variety of landscapes including volcanoes, waterfalls, long days and eclipses. see the northern lightsIceland’s unpredictable weather can make eclipse viewing challenging, but there’s reason to be hopeful. Good days are possible in August, and the eclipse will occur there later in the day, about 25 degrees above the west-southwest horizon. That means you’ll have all day to pick a location on Iceland’s west coast using Iceland’s very detailed weather forecast.
Crowds are expected at scenic spots along the west coast, as are cruise ships leaving the capital Reykjavik, 18 miles (30 km) offshore, where the greatest eclipse will occur. In Reykjavik, there will be a 59-second eclipse; at Garður Old Lighthouse on the Reykjanes Peninsula, it will be 1 minute and 42 seconds; at Snæfellsjökull on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, it will be 2 minutes and 5 seconds; and at Látrabjarg in Iceland’s West Fjords, it will be 2 minutes and 14 seconds (the longest in the country).
Total roads in Spain and Portugal
The eclipsed sun will reach Galicia, on the northwestern coast of Spain, at 7:30 p.m. after crossing several thousand miles of ocean Middle East Standard Time. The maximum eclipse will occur between Canero and Luarca in 1 minute and 50 seconds. In the next 7 minutes and 20 seconds, the moon’s shadow will pass like a needle across the north of the country, narrowly missing Madrid and Barcelona, both of which will see a 99% partial solar eclipse.
The most important factor to consider when researching where to go in Spain is the height of the eclipse. Annoyingly, clouds It is more likely where the eclipse will be higher in the sky (northwestern Spain) and clear skies are expected where the sun will be lower in the sky (eastern Spain).
Just before sunset across the region, the eclipse will be no more than 10 degrees above the western horizon (in Galicia), and will dip only a few degrees above the horizon as it reaches the east coast of Spain, in Valencia and Tarragona. This makes the latter a poor choice, as mountains to the west will usually block the view of the eclipse. However, there are exceptions at wide beaches, such as the Parc Natural del Delta de l’Ebre in Tarragona.
A sweet spot might be around Palencia and Burgos in Castile and León, near the centerline of the road, in an area with both flat horizons and clear skies. This central area also has dark rural skies that can allow for views. Milky Way and annual peak Perseid meteor shower The night of August 12th.
While this will be primarily an eclipse for northern Spain, a small area of Portugal will fall under the moon’s shadow. Route N308 from Rio de Onor to Guadramil marks the southern edge of the road. Beyond that, the far north-east of Portugal will experience up to 27 seconds of totality.
Total road in the Mediterranean
The best weather for the full path of the total eclipse is in the Mediterranean, where the moon’s shadow will leave the planet east of the Balearic Islands, an archipelago off the coast of eastern Spain. Tour groups and tourists will flock to Mallorca, the largest of the Balearic Islands, where the sight of an eclipsed sun, complete with a golden crown, just a degree or so above the ocean will be the reward. Anywhere on the west coast will do, but Sant Elm will have the longest total eclipse (1 minute, 36 seconds). Ibiza and Menorca are also good choices, but the total eclipse will be about 20 seconds shorter there.
Additional resources
Want to look further? Here’s a quick summary of solar eclipses through 2030: NASA’s eclipse websiteLearn more about solar and lunar eclipses EclipseWise.coma website dedicated to eclipse predictions. Check out the beautiful maps by eclipse cartographer Michael Zeiler GreatAmericanEclipse.com and interactive Google Maps Xavier Jubier eclipse website. Meteorologist Jay Anderson’s climate and weather forecasts can be found at: eclipsophile.com.
Bibliography
Anderson, J. (May 2024). Eclipsophile: Total Solar Eclipse 12 August 2026. Retrieved 4 June 2024, from https://eclipsophile.com/tse2026/
Bakich, M. and Zeiler, M. (2022). Atlas of Solar Eclipses 2020-2045. https://www.greatamericaneclipse.com/books/atlas-of-solar-eclipses-2020-to-2045
Espenak, F. Solar Eclipse Prime Page: Total Solar Eclipse on August 12, 2026. Retrieved June 4, 2024, from: https://eclipsewise.com/solar/SEprime/2001-2100/SE2026Aug12Tprime.html
Jubier, X. (n.d.). Solar eclipses: Interactive Google Maps. Retrieved June 4, 2024, http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/SolarEclipsesGoogleMaps.html
Time and Date. (nd). Total Solar Eclipse August 12, 2026. Retrieved June 4, 2024 https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/solar/2026-august-12