Total solar eclipse Iceland & Spain totality
Total Solar Eclipse of 12 August 2026
Mainland Europe's first totality since 1999. The path crossed western Iceland and then northern Spain from Galicia and Asturias to Valencia and the Balearics, with the Sun low in the western sky just before sunset.
- Greatest eclipse
- 17:45:53 UT
- Longest totality
- 2m 18s
- Path width
- 294 km
- Magnitude
- 1.0386
- Saros series
- 126
- Seen from
- n N. America, w Africa, Europe
NASA lists the central path as crossing: Arctic, Greenland, Iceland, Spain.
What will I see from my location?
Computed in your browser from NASA’s Besselian elements for the 12 August 2026 eclipse. Times include the date and are shown in your device’s time zone.
Local times in 27 cities
Contact times in each city’s local time, sorted by duration of totality and then by coverage. Sun altitude at maximum in brackets. Only cities where the eclipse is above the horizon are listed.
| City | What you see | Coverage | Begins | Maximum | Ends | Totality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oviedo Spain | total | 100% | 19:31 CEST | 20:27 CEST (10°) | 21:21 CEST | 1m 48s |
| Palma Spain | total | 100% | 19:38 CEST | 20:31 CEST (2°) | 21:22 CEST | 1m 36s |
| Zaragoza Spain | total | 100% | 19:34 CEST | 20:29 CEST (6°) | 21:21 CEST | 1m 24s |
| Reykjavík Iceland | total | 100% | 16:47 GMT | 17:48 GMT (25°) | 18:47 GMT | 1m 00s |
| Valencia Spain | total | 100% | 19:38 CEST | 20:32 CEST (4°) | 21:24 CEST | 0m 59s |
| Bilbao Spain | total | 100% | 19:31 CEST | 20:27 CEST (8°) | 21:20 CEST | 0m 31s |
| Tunis Tunisia | partial | 100% | 18:41 CET | 19:32 CET (-4°) | 20:21 CET | — |
| Madrid Spain | partial | 100% | 19:36 CEST | 20:32 CEST (7°) | 21:24 CEST | — |
| Barcelona Spain | partial | 100% | 19:35 CEST | 20:29 CEST (4°) | 21:20 CEST | — |
| Algiers Algeria | partial | 98% | 18:42 CET | 19:35 CET (0°) | 20:25 CET | — |
| Rome Italy | partial | 96% | 19:32 CEST | 20:24 CEST (-3°) | 21:13 CEST | — |
| Tripoli Libya | partial | 95% | 19:45 EET | 20:36 EET (-9°) | 21:23 EET | — |
| Seville Spain | partial | 95% | 19:41 CEST | 20:37 CEST (7°) | 21:29 CEST | — |
| Málaga Spain | partial | 95% | 19:43 CEST | 20:38 CEST (6°) | 21:29 CEST | — |
| Lisbon Portugal | partial | 94% | 18:39 WEST | 19:36 WEST (10°) | 20:29 WEST | — |
“—” means the contact happens before sunrise or after sunset, or the city is outside the path. Computed from NASA/GSFC Besselian elements; expect agreement with NASA tables to within a few seconds.
Planning a trip for 12 August 2026
- Get inside the path, then near the centre line. Totality lasts longest on the centre line and drops to zero at the edges. A few dozen kilometres can double your time in the shadow.
- Pick weather before scenery. Look up long-term August/seasonal cloud records for your candidate towns. A mobile plan (a car and a flexible last day) beats a fixed hotel when clouds threaten.
- Book early. Hotels inside popular totality paths often sell out a year or more ahead.
- Watch for the Sun’s altitude. Low Sun means long shadows and dramatic photos, but also more haze and a need for a clear horizon in the right direction.
Full destination ideas, weather notes and a trip-planning assistant are on the eclipse travel planner.
Questions
What time is the 12 August 2026 solar eclipse?
Greatest eclipse is at 17:45 UT (Universal Time), over 65.2°N 25.2°W. Local times differ by place: use the calculator on this page for your location.
Where can I see totality on 12 August 2026?
Total is visible only inside a path about 294 km wide crossing Arctic, Greenland, Iceland, Spain. Among the cities we checked, Oviedo (Spain) gets the longest, about 1m 48s.
How long does it last?
The longest totality is 2m 18s near the point of greatest duration. The whole event, from first to last contact at one place, usually lasts two to three hours, with totality a few minutes in the middle.
Do I need eclipse glasses?
Yes, for every partial phase before and after totality. Only during totality itself, when the Sun is completely hidden, is it safe to look without them. Outside the path of totality you must keep them on the whole time.
Sources: NASA/GSFC Solar Eclipses 2021–2030; Besselian elements; path table. Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA’s GSFC.