Overview
- On 12 August 2026 the Moon will block roughly 84–90 percent of the Sun over Germany, with the deepest coverage around Freiburg and the lowest coverage in the far northeast.
- The partial phases will be visible in the early evening, beginning about 19:10–19:15 local time, reaching local maxima around 20:00–20:15 and ending at sunset, so timing and location determine what each viewer sees.
- Observers should choose elevated sites with an unobstructed west to west‑northwest horizon because at maximum the Sun will sit only a few degrees above the horizon and low obstacles will block the view.
- Authorities and experts warn against improvised filters, ordinary sunglasses or unfiltered optics and recommend CE‑marked eclipse glasses that meet EN ISO 12312‑2:2015; NASA and ESA plan shadow‑chasing flights while Spain expects a tourism surge in the narrow path of totality.
- The eclipse coincides with the Perseid meteor peak on the night of 12–13 August, offering a rare double spectacle, and the event recalls the last total over parts of Europe in 1999 with the next totality over Germany not expected until 2081.