Rare Total Solar Eclipse Crosses Arctic and Europe as Scientists Begin Data Analysis

Overview

• The eclipse swept from the Arctic Russian region across Greenland, Iceland and parts of continental Europe on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, producing pockets of totality in Greenland, Iceland, Spain and the Balearic Islands.
• Millions watched the event in the Northern Hemisphere and tourist sites in Spain filled as towns and cities experienced moments of near-night during totality.
• NASA, ESA and mission teams flew camera-equipped aircraft, compared data with the Solar Orbiter and launched coordinated balloon campaigns to capture the solar corona and test models of the Sun's magnetic field and wind.
• Icelandic teams launched about 80 meteorological balloons to map rapid changes in the atmospheric boundary layer while Project TriEclipse recruited more than 200 citizen scientists in Spain to document animal behavior and local atmospheric effects over the next 18 months.
• Photographers’ striking images of the corona and prominences are being used for outreach and cross-checks with scientific measurements as research groups begin months of analysis to refine space-weather and atmospheric models.