Overview
- The total solar eclipse is set for August 12, 2026, with official maps from Spain’s IGN and NASA showing a narrow path of totality across northeastern Greenland, western Iceland and northern Spain.
- People across the UK and Ireland will not see totality but will experience a very deep partial eclipse with maximum obscuration ranging roughly from 90% to about 96% depending on location.
- Regional UK timings cluster around first contact in early evening, a maximum between about 7:05pm and 7:16pm BST, and an end around 8:00pm to 8:10pm BST, with exact minutes varying by town and city.
- Observers inside Spain’s path will see short total phases such as about 76 seconds in A Coruña and up to roughly 2 minutes 18 seconds near the point of greatest eclipse by Iceland.
- Authorities and astronomy groups warn never to look at the Sun during partial phases and advise ISO 12312-2-compliant eclipse glasses or properly fitted solar filters for cameras and telescopes while travel, weather and broadcast plans account for heavy public interest and the Perseid meteor peak.