2026's first total solar eclipse on August 12: Where to watch and what to avoid
A total solar eclipse will occur on August 12, 2026, with the path of totality crossing parts of Europe, specifically Spain, Iceland, and Greenland. The event is notable for coinciding with the Perseid meteor shower and a lunar perigee.
Why it matters
Total solar eclipses are rare astronomical events that draw significant scientific interest and tourism to the path of totality.
The Moon will slide fully across the Sun on the evening of August 12, dropping a narrow band of Europe into darkness for a little over a minute in some places and close to two in others. It is the first total solar eclipse anywhere on Earth since April 2024, and the first to cross the Iberian Peninsula in more than a century. Spain is the headline act here, simply because it is the only densely populated stretch of land the shadow touches.Totality begins over the Arctic, sweeps across eastern Greenland and western Iceland, clips a sliver of northeastern Portugal at Montesinho Natural Park, and then runs west to east across northern Spain.
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