Solar eclipse · 12 August 2026
The 2026 total solar eclipse over Iceland and Spain
On the afternoon of 12 August 2026, the Moon's shadow swept across the North Atlantic and clipped western Iceland before crossing northern Spain at sunset — the first total solar eclipse to touch mainland Europe since 1999, and, by a quirk of the calendar, on the same date the Perseids peaked under a New Moon. This page stays up as the record of the event; the next total eclipses are on the sky calendar.
Who was in the path?
Only a narrow band saw the Sun go completely dark. Everyone else in the region saw a partial eclipse — impressive, but not the same event.
- Totality
Western Iceland and a diagonal band across northern Spain (roughly from the northwest toward the Balearic Sea). In Spain the Sun sat very low — totality came close to sunset, which made a clear, flat western horizon essential.
- Deep partial
Portugal, most of Spain, France, the British Isles, Greenland and much of western Europe saw a large partial eclipse. The closer to the central band, the more of the Sun was covered.
The honest clear-sky reality
Every eclipse trip hinges on one thing: is the sky clear at your spot for those few minutes? This is where the two ends of the 2026 path differed sharply. Coastal Iceland in August is frequently cloudy and changeable — a genuine gamble, with maritime cloud that can roll in fast. Interior and southern Spain in mid-August is typically much drier and clearer, which is why many eclipse chasers favoured the Spanish segment despite the low Sun.
The same logic applies to the next ones: we won't quote a single clear-sky percentage for a town — long-range climatology and the actual forecast on the day are different things, and a made-up number helps no one. When an eclipse you're chasing comes within the forecast horizon, run your exact location through the main forecast tool to see the real cloud outlook, and cross-check a dedicated eclipse-weather resource close to the date.
Watch it safely — this is not optional
During the partial phases — which is the entire event outside the few minutes of totality — you must use certified ISO 12312-2 solar-eclipse glasses or a proper solar filter. Ordinary sunglasses do nothing. After the 2024 North American eclipse, searches for "my eyes hurt" spiked in the minutes after the event; permanent retinal damage from looking at even a sliver of uncovered Sun is real and painless as it happens.
Only during total phase — when the Sun's disc is 100% covered, and only if you are inside the path of totality — is it safe to look with the naked eye. The instant the bright disc returns, the glasses go back on.
The bonus: a moonless meteor night
Because a total solar eclipse requires a New Moon, the same night was also the Perseids' moonless peak — eclipse travellers who stayed out after dark were already under a black sky at exactly the right time.
Source for eclipse path and circumstances: NASA — future eclipses. Weather is uncertain by nature; we never fabricate clear-sky odds or contact times.