Overview
- A solar eclipse on Wednesday, 12 August 2026 will produce totality along a narrow path across the North Atlantic, Iceland/Greenland and parts of northern Spain and the Balearic Islands while Germany will see a deep partial eclipse that covers roughly 84–93 percent of the Sun in different regions.
- Authorities and eye experts warn that looking at the Sun without a certified filter can cause rapid, irreversible retinal damage and recommend only filters meeting DIN EN ISO 12312-2 or indirect methods such as projection.
- Certified eclipse glasses are in short supply days before the event but may still be available at local opticians, planetariums, observatories and some specialist shops while online orders may not arrive in time.
- Weather will determine who sees the eclipse in Germany because the event occurs near sunset and needs a free westward horizon; short-range models flag the northwest as most at risk of cloud cover and start times across the country fall roughly between 19:11 and 19:24 with maxima before sunset.
- Scientists plan targeted observations including NASA-funded airborne campaigns to study the solar corona and Spain expects large tourist inflows and economic gains in its totality zones while the Perseid meteor peak follows the night after the eclipse.