Overview
- Astronomers project that on 12 August 2026 the Moon’s umbral shadow will produce totality across parts of northern and eastern Spain and the Balearic Islands while the path of totality first crosses the North Atlantic near southwest Iceland.
- Much of central and northern Europe will see a deep partial eclipse that evening, with regional coverages typically in the mid‑80s to about 90 percent and the event ending for many locations at sunset because the Sun will sit very low on the western horizon.
- Safety agencies and observatories warn that at no time should people look at the (partially) eclipsed Sun without certified solar viewers meeting DIN EN ISO 12312-2:2015 or use of indirect projection methods such as pinhole/loch camera, and they strongly advise against improvised filters or normal sunglasses.
- The Perseid meteor shower reaches its annual maximum in the night of 12–13 August benefiting from the new moon, and a largely visible partial lunar eclipse follows on 28 August though its end will be lost to moonset and morning twilight in many areas.
- Spanish tourism officials report heavy demand and many rural accommodations already booked for totality viewing, while planetariums, astronomy clubs and the ESA are organising public events and live streams for those who cannot reach the path of totality.