Total solar eclipse — Iceland & Spain
On 12 August 2026 a total solar eclipse crossed mainland Europe for the first time since 1999. The shadow passed Greenland and Iceland and reached northern Spain near sunset; Madrid, just outside the path, saw a partial eclipse of more than 99.9%.
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The story
The total solar eclipse of 12 August 2026 was the first to cross mainland Europe since August 1999. The Moon's dark shadow began over the Arctic Ocean, crossed eastern Greenland and western Iceland, travelled over the Atlantic and reached northern Spain just before sunset. Totality was longest over the sea about 45 km off the west coast of Iceland, where it lasted 2 minutes 18 seconds at 17:47 UT.
In Spain the shadow came ashore near A Coruña in the north-west, passed Bilbao and Zaragoza, crossed Valencia and left over the sea at Palma on the island of Mallorca. The capital, Madrid, lay just outside the southern edge of the path. So it had no totality, but around 8:30 p.m. local time it saw a very deep partial eclipse in which more than 99.9% of the Sun was covered. The Sun was then less than 10 degrees above the western horizon.
In Reykjavík, Iceland's capital, totality lasted about one minute at around 17:48 UT, with the Sun fairly high in the western sky. The east coast of Greenland is almost empty of people, and western Iceland is often cloudy even in August, so many observers chose Spain instead. Paris and London saw a partial eclipse covering about 91–92% of the Sun, and Rome about 69%.
For Spain, this was the start of three years in a row of eclipses in which the Moon passes across the centre of the Sun. A total eclipse crosses the south of the country on 2 August 2027, and an annular eclipse, in which a ring of Sun remains visible around the Moon, follows on 26 January 2028. The sky replay recreates the nearly covered, low Sun above Madrid's western horizon; switching the location to Reykjavík shows the fully covered Sun somewhat higher in the sky.
Viewing guide — where, when, how
The path of totality began over the Arctic Ocean, crossed eastern Greenland and western Iceland, including Reykjavík at around 17:48 UT, and then the Atlantic. It reached Spain at about 8:30 p.m. local time, passed A Coruña, Bilbao, Zaragoza and Valencia, and ended near sunset at Palma on Mallorca. Most of Europe, North Africa and parts of North America saw a partial eclipse. It was not visible from Australia or from southern and eastern Asia, where it was night.
Where the Sun was low, as in Spain, a completely open western horizon mattered most. A building, a hill or even a single tree could hide the Sun, so west-facing coasts and plains were the best places. Eye protection can come off only during the brief moment when the Sun is completely covered. The partial phases before and after must be watched through certified eclipse glasses, because even a low Sun is bright enough to damage the eyes.
The sky replay follows the Sun over Madrid and slows down near the moment of greatest coverage. Entering a latitude and longitude lets you compare how long totality lasted at different points along the path, and switching to Reykjavík recreates the fully covered Sun higher in the afternoon sky.
See this for yourself — open that sky at that moment · replay the moment in the orbit view
Why this eclipse is special
A total eclipse with the Sun low in the sky creates unusual scenes. With the Sun near the horizon, the corona, the faint glow around the Sun, and the landscape on the ground can fit in the same photograph. Observers can also watch the sky darken in stages as the Moon's shadow approaches from the west. The downside is that sunlight must pass through a thick layer of air, which makes the image shimmer, and a single low hill or building can block the Sun.
For science, it was a chance to see the corona soon after solar maximum, the period when the Sun is most active. The shape of the corona follows the shape of the Sun's magnetic field. Comparing the corona in the North American eclipse of April 2024, this eclipse and the Egyptian eclipse of August 2027 lets scientists follow how the Sun's magnetic field changes from year to year.
Background and earlier eclipses
Solar eclipses repeat in a similar pattern about every 18 years, a cycle called the saros. This was the 48th eclipse of Saros 126. The previous eclipse in the series, on 1 August 2008, was a total eclipse over Russia and China, and the next, on 23 August 2044, will cross western Canada and Montana in the United States.
The previous total eclipse over mainland Europe was on 11 August 1999, running from Cornwall in England to Romania and Turkey. Total eclipses followed in Turkey in March 2006 and the Faroe Islands in March 2015, but this was the first path across cities of the European mainland in 27 years. Spain lies in the central path three years running, with total eclipses in 2026 and 2027 and an annular eclipse in 2028, making it a centre of eclipse watching in the late 2020s.
FAQ
Was totality visible from Madrid?
No. Madrid was just outside the path, so there was no totality, but around 8:30 p.m. more than 99.9% of the Sun was covered. With the Sun under 10 degrees high, an open western horizon was needed.
Where did totality last longest?
Over the sea about 45 km off Iceland's west coast, at 2 minutes 18 seconds. In Reykjavík it lasted about one minute.
Was it visible from Australia?
No. It was night in Australia, and the path lay over the Arctic, Europe and the North Atlantic.
When is Spain's next eclipse?
A total eclipse in the south on 2 August 2027 and an annular eclipse on 26 January 2028, giving Spain three years in a row.
Related
- The 2027 total eclipse — Egypt and southern Spain
- The 2028 annular over Iberia
- The 1999 European total eclipse
- The Sun — object index
- The Moon — object index
Times and figures are approximate — verify with official sources when planning travel. Simulation uses J2000 mean elements.