Overview
- The eclipse, which will occur on Wednesday 12 August 2026, will be total only along a narrow path through Greenland, Iceland and northern Spain and will appear as a strong partial eclipse across France.
- In France the phenomenon will unfold in late afternoon and evening with local maxima roughly between 20:00 and 20:20 and the Sun very low on the western horizon, making an unobstructed westward view critical for successful observation.
- Research teams from CEA, ESA and partner observatories are finalizing field campaigns to combine ground-based imaging with Solar Orbiter and other satellite data to study the corona, chromosphere and solar magnetic structure.
- Demand for ISO 12312-2:2015, CE‑marked eclipse glasses has surged and many pharmacies and opticians report sellouts, prompting officials to advise using safe indirect methods such as pinhole projectors or binocular projection if certified glasses cannot be obtained.
- The event is rare for any given location and carries real eye‑injury risk; authorities and ophthalmologists remind the public that ordinary sunglasses and improvised filters do not protect the retina and that proper filters or projection techniques are needed to avoid permanent damage.