Topline
Europe’s biggest skywatching event of 2026 arrives on Aug. 12, when a total solar eclipse crosses Greenland, Iceland and Spain. To experience a total solar eclipse, you must be within its narrow path of totality. However, millions outside the path of totality will still see a deep partial eclipse, including a rare eclipsed sunset across much of central and eastern Europe. For many, it will be the deepest solar eclipse since 1999 — and it occurs on the same day as the peak of the annual Perseid meteor shower.
Key Facts
Aug. 12’s total solar eclipse will be the first since 2015 and the first visible from mainland Europe since 1999, but it will only be visible from a narrow 180-mile (290-kilometer) path of totality through eastern Greenland, western Iceland and northern Spain. Totality will last up to 2 minutes 18 seconds.
To experience totality — a brief opportunity to see the sun’s beautiful corona with the naked eye — you must be inside the path of totality. Eclipse glasses can be removed only during the total phase, when the sun is completely covered. Everywhere else, and throughout the partial phases, certified solar eclipse glasses will be essential.
Anyone viewing the partial phases must wear ISO 12312-2-compliant eclipse glasses. Cameras, binoculars and telescopes require securely fitted solar filters on the front of their optics.
The partial eclipse will stretch across almost the entire European continent. Those in London with eclipse glasses will see a 91% partial eclipse; in Paris, 92%; in Berlin, about 85%; and in Vienna, 87%.
Northeast U.S. states will see a partial solar eclipse, with Boston 16% and New York 10%.
Overnight on Aug. 12-13, the Perseid meteor shower will peak for everyone in the Northern Hemisphere, giving skywatchers a chance to see about 50 “shooting stars” per hour.
Britain Will Experience Its Deepest Eclipse In Years
The U.K. will miss totality, but it will experience its most significant partial solar eclipse since 2015. London, Manchester and Glasgow will see a 91% partial, while Cardiff and Belfast will see 93%. Land’s End will reach almost 96%, and parts of the Isles of Scilly will see approximately 96.5%. Maximum eclipse will occur between about 7:05 p.m. and 7:13 p.m. BST. Although the landscape will not become completely dark, daylight may fade slightly.
Europe And Africa Get a Rare Eclipsed Sunset
From the U.K. and Europe, the solar crescent will appear with its horns pointing downward, resembling a frown. For many observers in Europe, the sun will set while still deeply eclipsed. Corsica will see the sun set while it’s 96% eclipsed, with Venice, Italy, at 91% and Warsaw, Poland, at 83%. Clear sight lines to the west-northwestern horizon will provide spectacular photographic opportunities, if the sky is clear. Northwest Africa will also see an eclipsed sunset. Locations near Algiers, Algeira, will see a 98% partial eclipse, with Essaouira, Morocco, at 81%.
Spain’s trio of eclipses
The total solar eclipse on Aug. 12 will be the first of two major total solar eclipses crossing mainland Europe in the 21st century. The second on Aug. 2, 2027, will see a path of totality across Andalusia in southern Spain, as well as North Africa and the Middle East. Spain will see a third major solar eclipse on Jan. 26, 2028, though it will be an annular “ring of fire” event that must be viewed through eclipse glasses.
