Total Solar Eclipse Will Cross Northern Spain on August 12, 2026, With Large Partial Coverage Across Germany

Overview

• The total solar eclipse will travel from the North Atlantic across northern Spain to the Balearic region on August 12, 2026, with global totality roughly between 19:00 and 20:30 Central European Summer Time and a maximum near 19:46 over the North Atlantic.
• Many locations in Spain lie inside the narrow path of totality, with prime observation sites named as León, the Asturian coast, Santander, Bilbao and parts of Mallorca where totality occurs low on the western horizon near sunset.
• Observers across Germany will see a deep partial eclipse rather than totality, with typical coverage of about 84–93 percent and city examples including Munich (~89%), Frankfurt (~88%), and Berlin and Hamburg (~85%), with Hamburg’s partial phase noted to run from about 19:14 to a 20:08 maximum before sunset ends visibility around 20:54.
• Experts and health authorities warn that clear western horizons and local weather will decide who actually sees the event, and they stress using certified eclipse glasses or properly filtered optics because unprotected viewing or improvised filters can cause serious retinal injury.
• The night after the eclipse, the Perseid meteor shower peaks under favorable new-moon conditions, offering possible rates of tens to around 50–100 meteors per hour under ideal, clear skies, and planners should note that the next total solar eclipse visible from Germany will not occur until September 3, 2081.