Overview
- The partial eclipse will occur on Wednesday, 12 August 2026, with roughly 90–96% of the Sun obscured across the UK and Ireland and local first contact shortly after 18:00 BST, maximum around 19:00–19:20 BST and the event ending at or after 20:00 BST.
- Totality will be visible only along a narrow path that crosses eastern Greenland, western Iceland and parts of northern Spain where the Sun will be completely covered for up to about 2 minutes 18 seconds at best locations.
- Health bodies and astronomers say never to look at the Sun without certified protection, recommend ISO 12312-2 solar viewers or indirect methods, and warn that eclipse glasses made many years ago can have degraded and may be unsafe.
- Viewers should choose sites with an unobstructed westward horizon because the Sun will be low at peak, check local weather forecasts, expect crowding and possible supply pressure for certified glasses, and note that the Royal Observatory Greenwich will livestream from about 18:10 BST.
- Scientists plan coordinated aircraft, balloon and ground observations to study the corona during totality, the eclipse coincides with the Perseid meteor peak which may increase public interest, and the UK will not see another total eclipse until 2090.