A rare and spectacular total solar eclipse is now just weeks away. On Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, the moon’s central shadow will sweep across the Arctic, eastern Greenland, western Iceland, the Atlantic Ocean and northern Spain, with a tiny corner of Portugal also in the path. For those in the right place, daylight will briefly fade, the sun’s corona will appear, and eclipse glasses can come off — but only during totality. Totality could even see views of the northern lights and “shooting stars.” Here’s everything you need to know about the next total solar eclipse.
On August 12, 2026, the Moon’s shadow will trace a path roughly 5,133 miles (8,260 km) long and up to about 182 miles (293 km) wide that sweeps across Earth from the Arctic to the Mediterranean Sea.. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
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Totality will last for up to 2 minutes 18 seconds, with the longest duration near Iceland. In Spain, totality will occur just before sunset, with Greenland another key viewing location.
It will be the first total solar eclipse visible from Iceland since 1954 and from Spain since 1905. Mainland Europe has not had a total solar eclipse since 1999.
Much of Europe, northwestern Africa, Canada, and parts of the northern U.S. will see a partial solar eclipse.
Aug. 12 also sees the peak of the annual Perseids meteor shower, when up to 100 “shooting stars” per hour can sometimes be seen.
A total solar eclipse happens when the moon passes directly between Earth and the sun, perfectly covering the sun’s bright disk. That alignment is only possible because the sun is about 400 times larger than the moon—but also about 400 times farther away, making them appear the same size in the sky.
Total solar eclipses occur somewhere on Earth roughly every 16 months, but at any one place they are exceedingly rare, often returning only once every few centuries.
A map of the path of totality on Aug. 12, 2026.
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Dozens of expedition cruise ships will take eclipse chasers to Greenland, with the best land-based options in western Iceland (where aurora can be seen at night from around mid-August) and northern Spain (which is ideally placed to see the Perseids). In Iceland, totality will cross the west coast in the early evening, while Spain will see a total solar eclipse low in the northwestern sky just prior to sunset. The path ends just east of the Balearic Islands. In Spain and the Balearic Islands, eclipse chasers will search for clear skies and open countryside, coastlines, plateaus and elevated viewpoints with sightings low to the northwest horizon. The best viewing conditions are expected in Castile and León, La Rioja, Aragón, and the Balearics.
Here are 10 places to experience the 2026 total solar eclipse in eastern Greenland, western Iceland and northern Spain.
Icebergs in Scoresby Sound, Greenland with a sunset in the background. Scoresby Sound is a group of islands and fjords along the eastern coast of the island of Greenland (a Danish territory)
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A total solar eclipse has two very different viewing rules. During the partial phases, eclipse glasses or certified solar filters are essential at all times. During totality only, when the moon completely covers the sun, it is safe to look without eye protection and see the corona — the sun’s faint outer atmosphere — with the naked eye. As soon as totality ends, eclipse glasses must go back on.
The last total solar eclipse on Earth occurred on April 8, 2024, when up to 4 minutes 28 seconds of totality were experienced within a narrow path of totality across Mexico, the U.S., and Canada. The next total solar eclipse in the U.S. will occur on March 30, 2033, in Alaska, but the next one visible from the contiguous U.S. will be on Aug. 23, 2044. Another major coast-to-coast U.S. eclipse follows on Aug. 12, 2045.
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