Overview
- A partial solar eclipse will be visible across Germany on Wednesday, 12 August 2026, between about 19:00 and 21:00 with the peak for most locations around 20:15 when roughly 85–90% of the solar disc will be covered.
- The Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) and eye specialists warn that unprotected direct viewing can burn the retina within seconds and that ordinary sunglasses or improvised filters are unsafe.
- Certified eclipse glasses must meet DIN EN ISO 12312-2:2015 and carry a CE mark and optics such as telescopes, binoculars or cameras require front-mounted solar filters because lenses concentrate sunlight and heighten injury risk.
- Many certified viewing glasses are already sold out and same-day online delivery is unlikely, so people should phone local opticians, planetaria, observatories or astronomy clubs to check stock or attend organised events that provide filtered telescopes.
- Safe alternatives include indirect projection (a pinhole or Camera obscura), supervised filtered telescope viewings, or live streams from broadcasters and space agencies, and observers should choose sites with a free westward horizon because the sun will be low at maximum; the next total eclipse visible in parts of Germany will not occur until 2081.