Overview
- The total solar eclipse on August 12, 2026, is confirmed to cross northeastern Russia, the Arctic, eastern Greenland, western Iceland and northern Spain with most European locations seeing a deep partial eclipse.
- NASA has finalized a major science effort that will chase the Moon’s shadow with a WB-57 research aircraft and deploy about 86 scientific balloons over Iceland and Spain to study the Sun’s corona and short-term atmospheric changes.
- Totality on the ground will be brief, typically under two minutes and up to about 2 minutes 18 seconds at the greatest point, so aircraft and coordinated balloon platforms are being used to extend observation time.
- Authorities and observatories are publishing local UK and Ireland timings and viewing-site advice while repeatedly warning that only ISO 12312-2 certified solar filters protect eyes and that ordinary sunglasses and unfiltered optics are unsafe.
- The eclipse coincides with the Perseid meteor peak on the night of August 12–13 and precedes a deep partial lunar eclipse on August 27–28, a sequence that is driving increased travel bookings and wide public interest.