Total solar eclipse to dazzle observers on August 12
The Arctic, Greenland, Iceland and Spain will have a total solar eclipse on August 12, 2026. Parts of Europe and North America will see a partial. The post Total solar eclipse to dazzle observers on August 12 first appeared on EarthSky .
On Wednesday, August 12, 2026, millions of people across Spain, Iceland, Greenland and other regions will witness a total solar eclipse, where the moon entirely obscures the sun. EarthSky will host a livestream featuring Deborah Byrd and NASA's sun scientist Dr. C. Alex Young to cover the event, starting at 16:30 UTC (11:30 a.m. CDT).
The total phase of the eclipse, near the centerline over the North Atlantic between Greenland and Iceland, will last around 2 minutes and 18 seconds, slightly shorter than the April 8, 2024 eclipse (4 minutes and 28 seconds) and shorter than the upcoming August 2, 2027 eclipse (6 minutes and 23 seconds) in North Africa.
Spain, being close to sunset, will offer a maximum of 1 minute and 50 seconds of totality, with the sun being just a few degrees above the western horizon during the event. This creates the potential for a dramatic contrast between the darkened landscape below the eclipsed sun and the partially hidden sky above.
A notable aspect of the 2026 eclipse is the simultaneous peak of the Perseid meteor shower. As the moon will be new on eclipse day, stargazers can expect a spectacular display of meteors during totality.
Written by urgent.news from EarthSky's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
