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On August 12, 2026, Europe will experience its first total solar eclipse in 27 years.
At the point of greatest eclipse, totality will last 2 minutes, 18 seconds – a relatively short time compared to the total solar eclipses of 2024 and 2027. solar eclipsethe whole will be seen from the remote parts of Russia, eastern Greenland, western Iceland and the Iberian Peninsula. This is the place to witness the August 2026 total solar eclipse from Russia, Greenland, Iceland, Spain, Portugal and the Mediterranean.
Remember that it is not safe to look directly at the sun during the partial phases of an eclipse. Always except when the sun is completely blocked by the moonyou must spend eclipse sunglasses. Read our guide on How to observe the sun safely.
The whole path of wholeness
This total solar eclipse will have a long and wide path, rising in remote Siberia and settling just east of the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean. That trip is 5,133 miles (8,260 kilometers), during which the moon’s central umbra will be 182 miles (293 km) wide and take 96 minutes to flash across the planet.
Only a small part of that path crosses land, and 15.2 million people — the vast majority in the north of Spain — are destined to witness the whole thing that day, according to Time and Date.
Related: 16 best places to see the 2026 total solar eclipse
The whole path in Russia
The rise of this eclipse will be from a very remote part of the northern coast of lonely Siberia. A completely eclipsed sun it will appear just above the northern horizon at 3:37 am ANAT, as seen from the Taymyr Peninsula of Siberia. Here, near the Laptev Sea, the sun never sets during August, making the maximum of 85 seconds the darkest of the entire 24 hours. Few, if any, will see it. As the path of totality crosses the Vilkitsky Strait into the Arctic Ocean, it will pass over Severnaya Zemlya, an archipelago of normally ice-filled Arctic islands.
Related: Eclipse 2026: The next total solar eclipse will be Europe’s 1st in 27 years
The path of totality in Greenland
After rising in an uninhabited place, the path of totality will cross one of the least populated nations on World. Only 56,000 live in Greenland, and few, if any, live under the path of this eclipse, which passes through the eastern side of this huge island, passing the remote settlements of Mestersvig and Nyhavn in East Greenland.
Just before the moon’s shadow passes southeast of Greenland, it will cross almost all of Scoresby Sound, lasting 1 minute, 45 seconds in total, and exit at the Blosseville Coast. Expect multiple cruise ships to be in this region, where eclipse-watchers will be on a once-in-a-lifetime Arctic expedition looking to capture total views among icebergs. From Scoresby and the Blosseville Coast, the sun will be completely eclipsed hanging about 26 degrees above the western horizon.
Cruise itineraries that stay for a few nights will have a good chance northern lights after midnight, although the hours of darkness in August will be minimal.
The path of totality in Iceland
The “Land of Fire and Ice” will be an irresistible destination for eclipse chasers looking to pair totality with a range of other spectacles, including volcanoes, waterfalls, long days and the chance to see the northern lights. Iceland’s unpredictable weather can be challenging for eclipse watching, but there are reasons for hope. Beautiful days are possible in August, and the eclipse will occur late in the day then at about 25 degrees above the west-southwest horizon. That means you’ll have all day to choose a location along the west coast of Iceland using Iceland’s highly detailed weather forecasts.
Expect crowds at scenic spots along the west coast and cruise ships to leave the capital, Reykjavík, for the point of greatest eclipse, which will be 18 miles (30 km) offshore. Reykjavík will get a total of 59 seconds; Garður Old Lighthouse on the Reykjanes Peninsula will get 1 minute, 42 seconds; Snæfellsjökull on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula will get 2 minutes, 5 seconds; and Látrabjarg in Iceland’s Westfjords will get 2 minutes, 14 seconds, (the longest in the nation).
The path of totality in Spain and Portugal
After crossing a few thousand miles of sea, the eclipsing sun will reach Galicia on the northwest coast of Spain at 7:30 p.m. CEST. Total maximum between Canero and Luarca will occur at 1 minute, 50 seconds. In the next 7 minutes, 20 seconds, the moon’s shadow will thread a needle through the north of the country as it narrowly descends on Madrid and Barcelona, both of which will see a 99% partial solar eclipse.
The most important factor to consider when researching where to go in Spain is the height of the eclipse. sadly, clouds it is most likely where the eclipse will be higher in the sky (north-west Spain), and clear skies are expected where the sun will be low in the sky (east Spain).
Just before sunset across the region, the eclipse will be at most 10 degrees above the western horizon (from Galicia), and will sink to a few degrees above the horizon by the time it reaches the east coast of Spain at Valencia and Tarragona. So the latter is a bad choice as mountains to the west will usually block the view of the eclipse. However, there are exceptions for extensive beaches, such as Parc Natural del Delta de l’Ebre in Tarragona.
A sweet spot could be around Palencia and Burgos in Castle and León, close to the centerline of the path in a region with a flat horizon and a high chance of clear skies. This central region also has dark rural skies, which may allow views of the The Milky Way and the peak of the year Perseid meteor shower on the night of August 12.
Although this is an eclipse mainly for northern Spain, a small area of Portugal will be in the shadow of the moon. Route N308, which goes from Rio de Onor to Guadramil, marks the southern edge of the path. Anywhere further than that, in the extreme north-east of Portugal, will be fully experienced for up to 27 seconds.
The path of totality in the Mediterranean
The best climate in the entire path is found in the Mediterranean, where the shadow of the planet’s moon will pass east of the Balearic Islands, an archipelago off eastern Spain. Tour groups and tourists will flock to Mallorca, the largest of the Balearic Islands, where the view of the eclipsed sun – complete with a golden crown – will be the prize just a step or so above the ocean. Anywhere on the west coast will do, but Sant Elm has the longest total (1 minute, 36 seconds). Ibiza and Menorca are also good options, although the total will be about 20 seconds shorter there.
Additional resources
Do you want to look further ahead? You can find a brief summary of solar eclipses until 2030 onwards NASA eclipse website. Read more about solar and lunar eclipses on EclipseWise.coma website dedicated to predicting eclipses. See eclipse cartographer Michael Zeiler’s beautiful maps GreatAmericanEclipse.com and interactive Google Maps on Game Xavier Jubier eclipse website. You can get climate and weather forecasts from meteorologist Jay Anderson on eclipsephile.com.
Bibliography
Anderson, J. (May 2024). Eclipsophile: Total Solar Eclipse August 12, 2026. Retrieved June 4, 2024, from https://eclipsophile.com/tse2026/
Bakich, M. and Zeiler, M. (2022). Atlas of Solar Eclipses 2020-2045. https://www.greatamericaneclipse.com/books/atlas-of-solar-eclipses-2020-to-2045
Espenak, F. Solar Eclipse Homepage: Total Solar Eclipse of 2026 August 12. Retrieved June 4, 2024, from: https://eclipsewise.com/solar/SEprime/2001-2100/SE2026Aug12Tprime.html
Jubier, X. (n.d.). Solar eclipse: Google interactive maps. Back June 4, 2024, from http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/SolarEclipsesGoogleMaps.html
Time and Date. (nd). August 12, 2026 Total Solar Eclipse. Back June 4, 2024 from https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/solar/2026-august-12
