Overview
- The total solar eclipse on Wednesday 12 August 2026 will trace a narrow path of totality across eastern Greenland, western Iceland and northern Spain while much of the UK will see a very deep partial eclipse with about 90–96% of the Sun obscured.
- Local timings put first contact in the early evening with most UK locations reaching maximum eclipse between about 7:05pm and 7:16pm and the event ending by roughly 8:10pm, so viewers should pick sites with an open west-northwest horizon.
- Health bodies including the UK Health Security Agency warn that looking at the Sun without ISO 12312-2 certified eclipse glasses can cause permanent retinal damage within seconds and advise indirect methods such as pinhole projectors or colanders.
- Agencies and observatories are mounting livestreams and coordinated science campaigns using high-altitude balloons and research aircraft while retailers and community groups are expanding last-minute sales and public viewing events that sometimes supply free certified glasses.
- Weather and the availability of certified viewers remain the biggest uncertainties for safe in-person viewing and the eclipse coincides with the Perseid meteor shower and a new moon, which increases public interest and observational opportunities.