Total solar eclipse of August 12, 2026: path, times, and what happened.
·The total solar eclipse of August 12, 2026 reached greatest eclipse at 17:46 UTC over the North Atlantic, with a maximum totality of 2 minutes 18 seconds about 45 km off the west coast of Iceland, and reached northern Spain around 18:26 UTC, about an hour before local sunset. It was the first total eclipse over mainland Europe since August 1999 and the first over Iceland since 1954. Here is the record: where the shadow went, when, how long it lasted, and what comes next.
When was the 2026 total solar eclipse?
Wednesday, August 12, 2026. Greatest eclipse, the instant the axis of the shadow passed closest to Earth's center, came at 17:46 UTC with an eclipse magnitude of 1.0386. In Iceland it was a mid-afternoon event about four hours before sunset: Reykjavik saw the partial phase begin around 16:47 local time and totality at 17:48 (Iceland runs on UTC). The shadow reached northern Spain around 18:26 UTC with the Sun low in the west, roughly an hour before sunset.
Where was totality visible?
The shadow first touched down over Arctic Russia at local midnight under the midnight sun, ran east to west over the pole about 100 km south of it, crossed eastern Greenland and western Iceland, ran down the North Atlantic, and reached northern Spain with a small strip of extreme northeastern Portugal, the Balearic Islands, and the western Mediterranean at the end. Spanish cities inside totality included A Coruna, Bilbao, Zaragoza, Valencia, and Palma. Madrid and Barcelona sat just outside the track and got a deep partial, the trap for anyone who assumed Spain meant in the path.
How long did totality last?
Up to 2 minutes 18 seconds at the point of greatest duration, about 45 km off Iceland's Westfjords near Latrabjarg, which was also the longest totality on land. Greenland saw up to roughly 2 minutes 6 seconds. Spain saw up to about 1 minute 50 seconds, with a low Sun that made a clear western horizon decide everything.
What did the partial eclipse look like elsewhere?
Outside the narrow path a large partial eclipse covered a wide slice of the world. Ireland, Britain, Portugal, France, and northern Italy saw more than 90 percent of the Sun covered; Rome saw about 69 percent, and central European capitals such as Vienna and Prague about 84 to 86 percent. Parts of North and West Africa and far northeastern North America saw a smaller bite. Saint Petersburg, at about 79 percent, was broadcast live from the top of the Lakhta Center.
What happened on the day?
Spain opened 660 official viewing sites and put 24,000 police on the roads for the crowds heading north. NASA flew a WB-57 research aircraft along the shadow over the North Atlantic at 50,000 feet, stretching its view of totality from 2 minutes 18 seconds toward three minutes for coronal research. A cosmonaut photographed the shadow from the International Space Station. The following night the Perseid meteor shower peaked under the same new moon, the darkest Perseid peak in years; the plan for that night, and a postscript on how it went, are in the log entry and the Perseid viewing guide.
When is the next total solar eclipse?
August 2, 2027, less than a year later, when the shadow crosses southern Spain, North Africa, and Egypt with 6 minutes 23 seconds of totality near Luxor, the longest on land until 2114. The 2027 eclipse guide has the path and timing. Before that, an annular solar eclipse crosses South America and West Africa on February 6, 2027. The next total solar eclipse visible from Iceland is in 2196.
Common questions.
What time was the total solar eclipse on August 12, 2026?
Greatest eclipse was at 17:46 UTC over the Atlantic. Reykjavik reached totality at 17:48 local time, and northern Spain around 18:26 UTC, close to local sunset.
Where was totality visible in 2026?
Arctic Russia, eastern Greenland, western Iceland, northern Spain, a small strip of northeastern Portugal, and the Balearic Islands. Madrid and Barcelona were outside the path and saw a deep partial eclipse.
How long did totality last?
Up to 2 minutes 18 seconds off the west coast of Iceland. Spain got up to about 1 minute 50 seconds.
When is the next one?
August 2, 2027, over southern Spain, North Africa, and Egypt, with up to 6 minutes 23 seconds of totality.