Overview
- The eclipse’s 180-mile-wide path of totality will cross eastern Greenland, western Iceland and northern Spain on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, giving clear-sky observers there up to about 2 minutes 18 seconds of totality.
- Much of the UK and large parts of Europe lie just outside totality and will see very deep partial eclipses late in the afternoon, with London expected to reach about 91 percent obscuration as the Sun sets.
- No part of North America will experience totality, but northeastern U.S. and eastern Canada will see the deepest partials, for example Presque Isle about 28 percent, Iqaluit about 61 percent and St. John’s about 53 percent coverage.
- The Perseid meteor shower peaks overnight on August 12–13 under a new Moon, producing virtually no lunar glare and allowing observers at dark-sky sites to see dozens and, under ideal conditions, roughly 50 meteors per hour.
- Experts urge strict eye safety for the eclipse by using ISO 12312-2 certified eclipse glasses or proper solar filters for optics and recommend planning Perseid watches from rural dark locations with at least 20 minutes for eyes to adapt.