Overview
- The total solar eclipse, which will occur on Aug. 12, 2026, will produce a narrow path of totality across parts of Greenland, Iceland and northern Spain with maximum totality of about 2 minutes and 18 seconds at some locations.
- Much of Europe and portions of Canada, the United States and northwestern Africa will see a deep partial eclipse, with many European cities seeing more than 90 percent of the Sun covered.
- NASA and astronomy organizations advise using ISO 12312-2 certified eclipse glasses or handheld solar viewers for all partial phases and stress that only observers inside the path of totality may safely look at the Sun without protection during totality.
- Demand for hotels and transport at prime viewing sites is rising, and observers in northern Spain should secure an unobstructed western horizon because the eclipsed Sun will sit very low above the horizon at totality.
- The new-moon timing means the Perseid meteor shower will peak after the eclipse under very dark skies, creating a rare back-to-back viewing opportunity and giving scientists a chance to study the solar corona and short-term atmospheric effects while local services face higher visitor pressure.