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Countdown
Wednesday, August 12, 2026 · 63 days away
Countdown
Total Solar Eclipse — August 12, 2026
Reminders
Event overview
Total solar eclipse with a path of totality crossing eastern Greenland, western Iceland and northern Spain; up to 2 minutes 18 seconds of totality at greatest eclipse.
Editorial context
The August 12, 2026 total solar eclipse is the first total eclipse visible across mainland Europe since August 11, 1999. The path of totality crosses eastern Greenland, western Iceland (including Reykjavík at ~95% obscuration), and runs diagonally through northern Spain — sweeping over Bilbao, Zaragoza, Valencia, and Palma de Mallorca — before ending at sunset over the Balearic Sea. Greatest eclipse occurs at 17:46 UTC northwest of Iceland with a maximum totality duration of 2 minutes 18 seconds. NASA's eclipse predictions catalog this as Saros series 126, member 48 of 72; the next European total eclipse follows close behind on August 2, 2027 (path through Spain, North Africa, and Saudi Arabia).
Manually verified sources
Last manual verification: 2026-05-04. This note adds context only; the source trail below still controls date confidence.
Confirmation checklist
Source trail
Primary source
eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov
Last reviewed
2026-04-30
Tracker status
scheduled
Date precision
Single-date event without a reliable public start time; date-first countdown only.
Schema posture
Event structured data is emitted because the record is single-date and scheduled or confirmed.
Primary citation
Freshness and review
Operational detail
Weak-date handling
The clock counts down to the total solar eclipse of Wednesday, August 12, 2026 — the first total solar eclipse visible from continental Europe since August 1999. The path of totality crosses eastern Greenland, western Iceland and northern Spain, with up to 2 minutes 18 seconds of totality at greatest eclipse over the Atlantic.
A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes directly between the Sun and Earth and the lunar disk fully covers the solar photosphere from the perspective of observers within the umbral shadow. The August 12, 2026 eclipse is a Saros series 126 event, a long-running family of related eclipses; its predecessor in the same Saros (August 1, 2008) crossed Siberia and central Asia.
The 2026 path of totality begins at sunrise over the Arctic Ocean, sweeps across eastern Greenland (where it is total from places like Scoresbysund), arcs across western Iceland (Reykjavík is in the path with about 1 minute 50 seconds of totality), continues across the North Atlantic, and makes landfall in northern Spain. The Spanish path crosses Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria, La Rioja, Navarra, Aragón, the Balearic Islands, and exits the country at Mallorca. Sites in northern Spain — Oviedo, Burgos, Zaragoza, Castellón, Palma — see between 1 minute 30 seconds and 1 minute 50 seconds of totality at sunset.
This is a highly unusual end-of-day eclipse for European observers. The Sun will be very low in the western sky during totality across northern Spain — only 1° to 8° above the horizon, depending on location — making horizon-clear viewing essential and giving the eclipse a dramatic sunset-orange backdrop.
Demand for the path of totality is expected to be enormous. Iceland, with cool conditions and long established eclipse-tourism infrastructure, is the safest weather bet (cloud probability about 50%). Northern Spain — primarily Aragón and Castellón — is the closest path to most of Europe and is expected to draw millions of day-trippers and weekend tourists from France, Germany, the Netherlands and Italy. Mallorca is the warmest, sunniest, but most weather-vulnerable Mediterranean option.
The 1 minute 50 seconds of totality at Reykjavík allows a clear naked-eye view of the corona and prominences. Eclipse glasses are required during the partial phases on either side of totality; the totality itself can be viewed with the naked eye and is one of the most extraordinary natural sights. The temperature drops 5–10°C in totality; the wildlife response (birds going to roost, dogs becoming agitated) is dramatic; and bright planets and stars (Venus, Jupiter, Sirius) become visible in totality.
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center publishes detailed maps and timing data; timeanddate.com, the European Space Agency, and the Royal Astronomical Society publish multilingual interactive maps. Sky & Telescope, Astronomy magazine and Sky at Night provide observer guides. Spanish national broadcaster RTVE, Iceland's RÚV, and Greenland's KNR will provide live coverage; NASA TV, BBC and the European Broadcasting Union will run international feeds.
The 2026 August total eclipse precedes the longer Total solar eclipse August 2, 2027 over Egypt by exactly a year. The Perseid meteor shower 2026 peaks the same night. Pair with Saturn opposition 2026 and June solstice 2026 on the 2026 sky calendar.
When is the August 12, 2026 total solar eclipse? Wednesday, August 12, 2026, with greatest eclipse around 17:46 UTC over the Atlantic. Where is the path of totality? Eastern Greenland, western Iceland (including Reykjavík), and northern Spain (Asturias to the Balearics). How long is totality? About 2 min 18 sec at greatest eclipse; about 1 min 50 sec from Reykjavík; 1 min 30 sec to 1 min 50 sec across northern Spain. Can I look at the eclipse without glasses? Only during the brief total phase from within the path of totality. Eclipse glasses are required for all partial phases.
Date confidence
Total Solar Eclipse — August 12, 2026 is tracked as a scheduled event. The date is suitable for countdown and calendar use, while final logistics should still be checked against the linked source.
Source
https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEsearch/SEsearchmap.php?Ecl=20260812Structured data posture
This page emits Event structured data because the tracked record has a single scheduled or confirmed date. The linked source remains the final reference for time, venue, and operational changes.
Countdown evidence
Retention class
Date-first scheduled countdown
Evidence score
6/10 record signals
City-page readiness
Held to date-first
Planning notes
Source reviewed Apr 30, 2026. The countdown record is intentionally labeled as scheduled or expected; use the source link and any range notes before treating the date as final.
Live values rendered at Jun 2, 10:32 AM UTC.
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People also ask
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