Millions across Europe, the Arctic, and North America will witness a total solar eclipse on Wednesday, August 12, 2026. The rare celestial alignment marks mainland Europe’s first total eclipse since 1999, bringing a brief period of daytime darkness to parts of Greenland, Iceland, northern Spain, and Portugal.
Skywatchers and astronomers are preparing for a major astronomical event as the moon passes directly between the Earth and the Sun. While millions of people across Europe, the Arctic, and the North Atlantic will experience a total solar eclipse, observers across parts of North America and Europe will witness a partial eclipse, according to astronomers and scientific visualizers.
Path of Totality Across the Arctic, Iceland, and Spain
The moon’s shadow will trace an unusual and remote path across the globe. According to NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio, the eclipse begins in an unpopulated area of Siberia in northern Russia as an eclipsed sunrise before racing across the Arctic Ocean, Greenland, and Iceland. The shadow’s centerline reaches an astonishing latitude of 87.8 degrees north—just 153 miles from the North Pole—marking the closest a modern total solar eclipse has ever passed to Earth’s northernmost point.
In Iceland, the total eclipse begins in Reykjavík at 5:48 p.m. local time, as reported by NPR. The path then sweeps down to northern Spain, which serves as the primary destination for hundreds of thousands of international eclipse chasers. Totality in León, Spain, begins at 8:28 p.m. and lasts for two minutes. Cities including A Coruña, Burgos, Oviedo, Bilbao, and Zaragoza will enjoy long durations of totality, although Madrid and Barcelona fall outside the path. Portugal also catches a brief glimpse of the phenomenon, with totality brushing three tiny areas, including the remote villages of Rio de Onor and Guadramil for roughly 15 seconds.
This event marks a historic milestone for Europe.
Partial Views in North America and Ireland
In the United States, northern regions stretching from Alaska to North Carolina will see a partial solar eclipse where the moon obscures a fraction of the sun.
In Washington, D.C., the partial eclipse begins around 1:17 p.m. ET, with NASA noting that up to 4 percent of the sun will be covered. Observers in eastern Canada and the northeastern United States will experience more pronounced partial views. St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, will see 53 percent of the sun covered, followed by Halifax at 31 percent, Saint John at 28 percent, Québec City at 24 percent, Boston at 16 percent, and New York at 10 percent.
Across the Atlantic, a total eclipse will narrowly miss Ireland by a couple of hundred kilometers. However, irishtimes.com reports that the region will experience up to 93 percent coverage in the north and up to 98 percent coverage in the extreme southwest. Irish and Italian research teams plan to study the event from an Air Corps aircraft off the coast of Ireland, capturing detailed photographs of the inner corona to analyze solar heat transfer mechanisms.
Scientific Objectives and Crucial Eye Safety Warnings
Beyond public spectacle, the eclipse offers researchers a vital window into solar mechanics. NASA has deployed teams equipped with scientific balloons and a high-altitude jet to examine how a temporary darkening of the sky impacts Earth’s atmosphere.
Observers are urged to exercise extreme caution. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, looking directly at the sun—even for a short time or during a partial eclipse—can cause significant eye damage, including burns and permanent vision loss. Regular sunglasses offer no protection. Astronomers and safety advocates emphasize that viewers must use certified eclipse glasses or handheld solar viewers equipped with special filters, checking beforehand for pinholes or scratches.
