Get ready for the only total solar eclipse of 2026

Where will you be on August 12th? Many an eclipse chaser and the âeclipse curiousâ will make the journey to stand in the Moonâs shadow on that Wednesday date. This unique eclipse sees the pencil-thin shadow of our Moon curl around the Earthâs pole, before arcing across Greenland, Iceland and the Iberian peninsula towards a dramatic sunset over the western Mediterranean.

The eclipse sees a maximum duration for totality of 2 minutes and 18 seconds over far western Iceland, though most viewers across northeastern Spain will see less than two minutes in duration. The entire eclipse including partial phases lasts four hours and 23 minutes.

An animation of the August 12th eclipse. Credit: NASA/GSFC/A.T. Sinclair.

The path is a unique one as eclipses go. Totality touches down off of the Arctic coast of far eastern Russia near the far-flung Saint Peter Islands and the small village of Syndassko at 16:58 Universal Time (UT). The umbral shadow of the Moon then loops and just misses the Earthâs northern rotational pole by less than 100 kilometers, sweeping down across Greenland, nicking Iceland and crossing the North Atlantic before grazing Portugal and heading across northeastern Spain towards a photogenic sunset over the Spanish islands of Mallorca and the western Mediterranean Sea.

The path of the August 12th total solar eclipse. Credit: Michael Zeiler.

Totalityâs trail presents a challenge, featuring an ocean track with very few landfalls. The Basque region of Spain presents the biggest swath of ground witnessing totality, though the region has also been plagued with record-setting heat and destructive fires this summer.

Itâs also worth noting that partial phases outside of the track extend across Europe, northwestern Africa and a good portion of North America. Viewers across the northeastern U.S. and the Canadian Maritimes might want to dig out those eclipse glasses from 2024 if skies are clear on the 12th, to catch part of the show. Partial phases for the eclipse run from 15:34 to 19:57 UT, with the peak right around 17:45 UT.

The southern edge of the partial phases for the August 12th total solar eclipse over North America. Credit: Xavier Jubier.

Observers along the U.S. East Coast will want to look for a maximum partial phase just before 18:00UT/2:00 PM EDT.

Viewing and Safety

The sunset eclipse across Spain will be low to the horizon, with an altitude of just under five degrees for Spainâs eastern shore. This could spell trouble for viewers if any clouds turn up on eclipse day, though it does offer opportunities to catch the eclipsed Sun along with foreground objects.

A partial solar eclipse over the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center in 2013. Credit: Dave Dickinson.

Remember, you need to take proper safety precautions during all partial phases of the eclipse. Even a 99% eclipsed Sun is still eye-damaging bright. Be sure to check those old glasses prior to use, and only use glasses with an approved ISO 12312-2 rating on them from a trusted vendor and beware of counterfeits NASA has a great resource page covering eclipse safety.

Crescent Suns seen across the surface of Lake Turkana, during the 2013 hybrid/annular solar eclipse. Credit: Eliot Herman.

Projection offers a good safe alternative. A spaghetti strainer, lattice work, and even gaps in tree leaves can act as natural projectors during the partial phases of a solar eclipse. This effect is especially noticeable against sidewalks, walls and high contrast surfaces.

Totality passes quickly. My impression during the 2024 eclipse was as if someone had abruptly thrown a dimmer switch on the sky. We were then immersed in a strange 360 degree twilight as the Moonâs shadow sped past. Watch for animals and insects to be fooled into nocturnal activity with the sudden onset of totality. Humans can act strangely, too. What struck me as surprising were the number of people still driving around during totality (!) Did they even know there was an eclipse that day?

Watch for crimson prominences on the solar limb, and the pearly white corona of the Sun bracketing the Moon. About twice the brightness of a Full Moon, the source of the corona was a mystery until astronomer Warren de la Rue pegged it correctly as a product of the Sun (versus the Moon or the Earthâs own atmosphere) in 1860. Coincidentally, de la Rue was also observing from northern Spain. You only see the elusive corona during totality. The sky itself during totality is brighter than you might think. Watch for brilliant -4.4 magnitude Venus 46 degrees east of the Sun as totality approaches.

They always say to photograph your second total solar eclipse, but simply watch and enjoy your first. One of several eclipse chasers headed to Spain to once again witness totality is astrophotographer Chris Becke:

âAfter successfully making it into the path of totality in 2017 and 2024 and being fortunate enough to have had clear skies for both, my wife and I will be trying for our third totalityâthis time in the Asturias region of Spain, where the Sun will be fully eclipsed for one minute and 47 seconds.â Becke told Universe Today. âI booked lodging nearly a year ago, and followed it up about a month later with airline tickets from Washington DC to Madrid, knowing high demand was inevitable. We've located a viewing spot on a nearby hilltop with panoramic views (and a convenient restaurant and toilet) to spend the day."

âBecause totality will occur with the Sun just 10 degrees above the western horizon, getting a clean, unobstructed landscape view is critical. Iâm working on imaging plans that will be as âset it and forget itâ as possible so as not to distract from the experience. Iâll have a DWARF mini taking a continuous time-lapse from first to last contact; I'm leaving the included solar filter on the entire time just to capture the partial phases without needing to touch the rig. For totality, I will be running my Fujifilm X-T4 and X-M5. One is paired with an 18mm lens to capture a wide-field view of the low-altitude eclipse against the Spanish landscape, while the other is zoomed in to 600mm for a close-up of the corona. Both will be programmed for bracketed exposures and automatic interval timing. All Iâll have to do is pull the solar filters and press each shutter once. Of course, hoping for clear skies.â

Tales of the Saros

A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moonâs path intersects the ecliptic plane near New phase, passing between the Earth and the Sun. The Moonâs path is inclined 5.15 degrees versus the ecliptic. If it was flat with the ecliptic, weâd see eclipses every month. As it stands, eclipses happen in biannual seasons. This monthâs total solar eclipse season starts with the August 12th total solar eclipse, and is bracketed by a deep partial lunar eclipse for the Americas on August 28th.

This eclipse is a member of saros series 126, which started on March 10th, 1179 and runs out until its final slim partial solar eclipse on May 3rd, 2459. In fact, this is the second to last total solar eclipse for saros series 126, with the series producing totality one last time on August 23rd, 2044.

Totality! Captured in 2023 from western Australia. Credit: Eliot Herman.

From the Earthward side of the Moon looking back, you would see the shadow of our satellite crossing the disk of our fair world. Weather satellites, solar observing missions, and even iSpaceâs ill-fated Hakuto-R mission have captured this scene from space. Itâs often said that Earthâs solar eclipses are a rarity, but theyâre actually a happy result of our place in time and space. Even in the current epoch, annular eclipses are more common than totals, as the Moon slowly recedes from the Earth. Whatâs more, the major moons of Jupiter see âem, too, as one moon passes in front of the other.

Can you seeing aurora during a total solar eclipse? Certainly prospects are slim, though a polar eclipse would offer the best circumstances. Youâd need a powerful solar storm hitting the Earth, at just the right time. Observers during the 2015 eclipse over Svalbard came up with a null result. This year, NASAâs Liz MacDonald plans to take another shot at this rare observation from Iceland. Note that the August eclipse transpires during the peak of the 2026 Perseid meteors. Now, a shot featuring totality, aurora and a Perseid would be the capture of a lifetime.

The European Space Agency plans on streaming the eclipse live and weâll feature a roundup of eclipse webcasts prior to eclipse day. Weâll also be looking at solar sunspot prospects, aurora activity, any possible sungrazing comets, the coronal shape, and cloud cover forecasts, leading up to eclipse day.

Good luck, stay cool and clear skies. We admit, a quick Iceland Air flight still sounds enticing right now. Weâre officially jealous of anyone making the journey to totality on August 12th, to stand in the shadow of the Moon.