Total solar eclipse 2026 thrills millions with a stunning cosmic spectacle (photos, video)

On Aug. 12, 2026, millions gathered across Greenland, Iceland, and Spain to witness a breathtaking total solar eclipse. As the moon moved directly in front of the sun, casting its shadow across the Earth's surface, temperatures dropped and an eerie twilight atmosphere enveloped the area. Animals fell silent, and the sun appeared transformed before spectators' eyes.

Daisy Dobrijevic, skywatching editor of Space.com, described the experience as incomparable to any other celestial event, even though she had seen thousands of photos of solar eclipses. The intense beauty of the corona, the sun's outer atmosphere, stretched out across the sky, accompanied by Jupiter, Mercury, and Venus.

The 182-mile-wide (293-kilometer) path of totality began near Siberia and first crossed eastern Greenland before stretching across western Iceland and northern Spain. Hundreds of thousands of people gathered to witness the celestial event. Anthony Wood, skywatching writer for Space.com, expressed his amazement at the surreal nature of the experience, saying it felt unreal and extraordinary.

In areas outside the path of totality, skywatchers throughout Europe and Scandinavia could see a partial solar eclipse, with the moon partially obscuring the sun. Harry Bennett, a Space.com photographer, captured the partial eclipse from Somerset, England, using a smart telescope equipped with a solar filter. The partial eclipse was also visible across northeastern United States, parts of Canada, and Alaska.