A total solar eclipse will occur at the Moon's descending node of orbit on Wednesday, August 12, 2026,[1] with a magnitude of 1.0386. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partly obscuring the image of the Sun for a viewer on Earth. A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's apparent diameter is larger than the Sun's, blocking all direct sunlight, turning day into darkness. Totality occurs in a narrow path across Earth's surface, with the partial solar eclipse visible over a surrounding region thousands of kilometres wide. Occurring about 2.2 days after perigee (on August 10, 2026, at 12:15 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter will be larger.[2]
The total eclipse will pass over the Arctic, Greenland, Iceland, Atlantic Ocean, northern Spain and very extreme northeastern Portugal.[3] The points of greatest duration and greatest eclipse will be just 45km (28miles) off the western coast of Iceland by 65°10.3' N and 25°12.3' W, where the totality will last 2m 18.21s. A partial eclipse will cover more than 90% of the Sun in Ireland, Great Britain, Portugal, France, Italy, the Balkans and North Africa and to a lesser extent in most of Europe, West Africa and northern North America.
The total eclipse will pass over northern Spain from the Atlantic coast to the Mediterranean coast as well as the Balearic Islands. The total eclipse will be visible from the cities of A Coruña, Valencia, Zaragoza, Palma and Bilbao, but both Madrid and Barcelona will be just outside the path of totality.[4]
The last total solar eclipse in continental Europe occurred on August 11, 1999.[5] It will be the first total solar eclipse visible in Iceland since June 30, 1954, also Solar Saros series 126 (descending node), and the only one to occur in the 21st century as the next one visible over Iceland will be in 2196. The last total solar eclipse in Spain happened on August 30, 1905 and followed a similar path across the country. The next total eclipse visible in Spain will happen less than a year later on August 2, 2027.[6]
The eclipse path proceeds from North Siberia throughout the Arctic Region, Iceland, eastern Atlantic to Spain and the Mediterranean.
In the North Russia area where totality will begin at sunrise, the aurora borealis could also be visible up to the beginning of the nautical twilight, depending on the intensity of the auroral activity at that date. If an extremely high intensity geomagnetic storm takes place simultaneously, there might be chances of seeing the aurora simultaneously with the eclipsed Sun. In the east of Taymyr Peninsula (north-east of Krasnoyarsk Krai) the maximum of total phase will occur on August 13 at 0:00 local time during midnight sun.[7]
Due to the considerable eclipse gamma (more than 0.8), observers where the totally eclipsed Sun is just below the horizon will have the chance to observe the lunar shadow in the high atmosphere, as well as shortened civil twilight and extended nautical twilight. The darkening of the twilight sky could improve the chances of observing the inner Zodiacal light.[8]
Far northern Russia will be treated to a dawn eclipse. Mercury and Jupiter will be very low above the rising eclipsed Sun, but Mercury will be showing most of its sunlit side and Jupiter will have its usual brightness. Mars and Saturn will be more advantageously placed in the northeast and southeast respectively. Of the bright asterisms, the Big Dipper will be very high in the north-northwest and the Summer Triangle will be high in the southwest. Aldebaran, Arcturus, Capella and Pollux are other first-magnitude stars which may be seen, although they will be low.
In Iceland the eclipse will be a mid-afternoon event occurring about 4 hours before sunset, it will start in Reykjavik at around 2:04 PM, with the total eclipse occurring at 3:15 PM.[9] Mars may be a challenge to find, because it will be low in the west. Mercury and Jupiter will be well positioned west of the Sun and Venus will be many degrees to its east. Of 1st-magnitude stars from west to east, Capella and Pollux will be at decent elevations west of the Sun; Regulus, Spica (due south), Arcturus, Vega and Deneb are candidates for easy sighting to the Sun's east. Procyon will be about to set, while Altair will be low on the opposite side.
In Spain the eclipse will occur about 1 hour before sunset. Mercury and Jupiter, west of the eclipsed Sun, will therefore be very low below it. Venus will be brilliant well up in the southwest, with Spica to its east. Arcturus will be high in the south, and the Summer Triangle will be well up in the east. Lower in the south, Antares will be minutes away from transit.[10]
Animated path
| Country or Territory | Place or City | Startof partial eclipse (Local Time) | Start of total eclipse (Local Time) | End of total eclipse (Local Time) | Duration of total eclipse | End of partial eclipse (Local Time) | Magnitude | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East of Taymyr Peninsula, Krasnoyarsk Krai | 23:08:43 | 23:59:21 | 00:00:56 (August 13) | 1 min 35s | 00:51:51 (August 13) | 1,031 | ||
| Mestersvig | 16:32:41 | 17:32:52 | 17:34:01 | 1 min 09 s | 18:32:25 | 1,038 | ||
| Ísafjörður | 16:43:17 | 17:44:07 | 17:45:38 | 1 min 31 s | 18:43:57 | 1,038 | ||
| Grundarfjörður | 16:45:14 | 17:46:03 | 17:47:55 | 1 min 52 s | 18:46:03 | 1,038 | ||
| Reykjavík | 16:47:11 | 17:48:15 | 17:49:17 | 1 min 02 s | 18:47:38 | 1,038 | ||
| Reykjanesbær | 16:47:11 | 17:48:04 | 17:49:43 | 1 min 39 s | 18:47:52 | 1,038 | ||
| Gijón | 19:31:02 | 20:26:47 | 20:28:32 | 1 min 45 s | 21:20:45 | 1,034 | ||
| Santander | 19:31:19 | 20:26:55 | 20:27:57 | 1 min 02 s | 21:18:17 (Sunset) | 1,034 | ||
| Oviedo | 19:31:19 | 20:27:04 | 20:28:52 | 1 min 48 s | 21:21:04 | 1,034 | ||
| Bilbao | 19:31:47 | 20:27:22 | 20:27:52 | 30 s | 21:14:15 (Sunset) | 1,034 | ||
| A Coruña | 19:30:56 | 20:27:40 | 20:28:56 | 1 min 15 s | 21:21:59 | 1,034 | ||
| León | 19:32:43 | 20:28:19 | 20:30:04 | 1 min 44 s | 21:22:06 | 1,034 | ||
| Burgos | 19:33:21 | 20:28:24 | 20:30:07 | 1 min 43 s | 21:15:25 (Sunset) | 1,033 | ||
| Zaragoza | 19:34:40 | 20:29:01 | 20:30:25 | 1 min 24 s | 21:02:52 (Sunset) | 1,032 | ||
| Tarragona | 19:35:33 | 20:29:28 | 20:30:28 | 1 min 00 s | 20:53:18 (Sunset) | 1,032 | ||
| Valladolid | 19:34:30 | 20:29:52 | 20:31:19 | 1 min 27 s | 21:18:12 | 1,033 | ||
| Aveleda e Rio de Onor | 18:33:47 | 19:30:21 | 19:30:33 | 12 s | 20:23:29 | 1,034 | ||
| Palma de Mallorca | 19:38:03 | 20:31:04 | 20:32:40 | 1m 36 s | 20:44:48 (Sunset) | 1,031 | ||
| Castellón de La Plana | 19:37:31 | 20:31:19 | 20:32:52 | 1 m 34 s | 20:56:20 (Sunset) | 1,032 | ||
| Alcobendas | 19:36:32 | 20:31:57 | 20:32:21 | 24 s | 21:11:42 (Sunset) | 1,033 | ||
| Valencia | 19:38:23 | 20:32:27 | 20:33:28 | 1 min 01 s | 20:56:31 (Sunset) | 1,032 | ||
| Ibiza | 19:39:14 | 20:32:44 | 20:33:48 | 1 min 04 s | 20:48:28 (Sunset) | 1,031 |
Shown below are two tables displaying details about this particular solar eclipse. The first table outlines times at which the moon's penumbra or umbra attains the specific parameter, and the second table describes various other parameters pertaining to this eclipse.[11]
| First Penumbral External Contact | 2026 August 12 at 15:35:23.9 UTC | |
| First Umbral External Contact | 2026 August 12 at 16:59:18.1 UTC | |
| First Central Line | 2026 August 12 at 17:01:16.5 UTC | |
| First Umbral Internal Contact | 2026 August 12 at 17:03:19.0 UTC | |
| Equatorial Conjunction | 2026 August 12 at 17:05:01.6 UTC | |
| Ecliptic Conjunction | 2026 August 12 at 17:37:53.9 UTC | |
| Greatest Duration | 2026 August 12 at 17:45:53.9 UTC | |
| Greatest Eclipse | 2026 August 12 at 17:47:05.8 UTC | |
| Last Umbral Internal Contact | 2026 August 12 at 18:31:21.6 UTC | |
| Last Central Line | 2026 August 12 at 18:33:21.7 UTC | |
| Last Umbral External Contact | 2026 August 12 at 18:35:17.7 UTC | |
| Last Penumbral External Contact | 2026 August 12 at 19:59:09.2 UTC |
| Eclipse Magnitude | 1.03863 | |
| Eclipse Obscuration | 1.07876 | |
| Gamma | 0.89774 | |
| Sun Right Ascension | 09h29m47.3s | |
| Sun Declination | +14°48'04.5" | |
| Sun Semi-Diameter | 15'47.0" | |
| Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 08.7" | |
| Moon Right Ascension | 09h31m17.3s | |
| Moon Declination | +15°36'58.5" | |
| Moon Semi-Diameter | 16'16.9" | |
| Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 0°59'45.1" | |
| ΔT | 72.4 s |
See also: Eclipse cycle. This eclipse is part of an eclipse season, a period, roughly every six months, when eclipses occur. Only two (or occasionally three) eclipse seasons occur each year, and each season lasts about 35 days and repeats just short of six months (173 days) later; thus two full eclipse seasons always occur each year. Either two or three eclipses happen each eclipse season. In the sequence below, each eclipse is separated by a fortnight.