A total solar eclipse will sweep across parts of the Northern Hemisphere on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, marking the first total solar eclipse visible from mainland Western Europe since 1999, according to Reuters. Millions of people across Europe will experience the celestial event as the Moon’s umbral shadow crosses northern Siberia, the Arctic Ocean, and eastern Greenland before passing over western Iceland and reaching northern Spain, with a brief clip of northeastern Portugal before ending at sunset over Spain’s Mediterranean coast and the Balearic Islands, as detailed by Reuters.
Path of Totality and Timeline for the August 12, 2026, Total Solar Eclipse
According to Al Jazeera, the partial eclipse begins at the first location on Earth at 15:34 GMT, while the total solar eclipse begins at 16:58 GMT. The eclipse reaches its maximum at 17:46 GMT with totality lasting about two minutes and 18 seconds near the centre of its path, and the total eclipse phase ends globally at approximately 18:34 GMT.
Regional timeline milestones for totality include:
- Reykjavík, Iceland: Totality begins at 5:48 p.m. local time (15:48 GMT), with a duration of 1 minute and 1 second, according to Space.
- Scoresby Sund, Greenland: Totality begins at 4:35 p.m. local time, lasting 1 minute and 46 seconds, as reported by Space.
- A Coruña, Spain: Totality starts at 8:27 p.m. local time with a duration of 1 minute and 15 seconds, per Space.
- Burgos, Spain: Totality starts at 8:28 p.m. local time, lasting 1 minute and 44 seconds, according to Space.
- Mallorca, Spain: Totality begins at 8:31 p.m. local time, with a duration of 1 minute and 36 seconds, notes Space.
Partial Eclipse Views Across Europe and North America
While the path of totality brings almost total darkness to about 15 million people, a partial solar eclipse will be visible across a much wider area, including most of Europe, northwestern Africa, and parts of North America, as outlined by Reuters. Major European and international cities will experience high percentages of the Sun’s disk covered:
- Dublin, Ireland: 94% coverage at 7:10 p.m., according to Space.
- London, U.K.: 91% coverage at 7:13 p.m., according to Space.
- Lisbon, Portugal: 94% coverage at 7:36 p.m., per Space.
- Paris, France: 92% coverage at 8:17 p.m., per Space.
- Berlin, Germany: 84% coverage at 8:08 p.m., notes Space.
- Madrid, Spain: 99.96% coverage at 8:32 p.m., as reported by Space.
- Barcelona, Spain: 99.82% coverage at 8:29 p.m., as reported by Space.
In North America, partial visibility will extend to northern and eastern Canada, Alaska, and parts of the northern United States, where cities like New York City will see about 9% totality, according to Cbsnews.
Scientific Context and Safe Viewing Guidelines
A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon moves directly between Earth and the Sun, completely blocking the Sun’s disk from view, as explained by Space. During totality, daylight briefly gives way to darkness, temperatures drop, and bright stars, planets, and the Sun’s outer atmosphere—known as the corona—can become visible, according to Reuters and Space.
Proper safety measures are critical for observers. According to Al Jazeera and Space, viewers must use specialised solar eclipse glasses or solar filters at all times when looking at the Sun outside of totality. Ordinary sunglasses do not provide enough protection, and looking at the Sun through cameras, binoculars, or telescopes without a specialized solar filter can cause severe eye damage. Observers may only remove eye protection during the brief period of totality when the Moon completely covers the Sun, and must put the protection back on as soon as the Sun begins to reappear, as noted by Al Jazeera.
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