| Solar eclipse of August 12, 2026 | |
|---|---|
 Map | |
| Type of eclipse | |
| Nature | Total |
| Gamma | 0.8977 |
| Magnitude | 1.0386 |
| Maximum eclipse | |
| Duration | 138 s (2 min 18 s) |
| Coordinates | 65°12′N 25°12′W / 65.2°N 25.2°W |
| Max. width of band | 294 km (183 mi) |
| Times (UTC) | |
| Greatest eclipse | 17:47:06 |
| References | |
| Saros | 126 (48 of 72) |
| Catalog # (SE5000) | 9566 |
A total solar eclipse will occur at the Moon's descending node of orbit on Wednesday, August 12, 2026,[1] with a magnitude of 1.0386. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partly obscuring the image of the Sun for a viewer on Earth. A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's apparent diameter is larger than the Sun's, blocking all direct sunlight, turning day into darkness. Totality occurs in a narrow path across Earth's surface, with the partial solar eclipse visible over a surrounding region thousands of kilometres wide. Occurring about 2.2 days after perigee (on August 10, 2026, at 12:15 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter will be larger.[2]
The total eclipse will pass over the Arctic, Greenland, Iceland, Atlantic Ocean, northern Spain and very extreme northeastern Portugal.[3] The points of greatest duration and greatest eclipse will be just 45 km (28 mi) off the western coast of Iceland by 65°10.3' N and 25°12.3' W, where the totality will last 2m 18.21s. A partial eclipse will cover more than 90% of the Sun in Ireland, Great Britain, Portugal, France, Italy, the Balkans and North Africa and to a lesser extent in most of Europe, West Africa and northern North America.
The total eclipse will pass over northern Spain from the Atlantic coast to the Mediterranean coast as well as the Balearic Islands. The total eclipse will be visible from the cities of A Coruña, Valencia, Zaragoza, Palma and Bilbao, but both Madrid and Barcelona will be just outside the path of totality.[4]
The last total solar eclipse in continental Europe occurred on August 11, 1999.[5] It will be the first total solar eclipse visible in Iceland since June 30, 1954, also Solar Saros series 126 (descending node), and the only one to occur in the 21st century as the next one visible over Iceland will be in 2196. The last total solar eclipse in Spain happened on August 30, 1905 and followed a similar path across the country. The next total eclipse visible in Spain will happen less than a year later on August 2, 2027.[6]
- ^ "August 12, 2026 Total Solar Eclipse". timeanddate. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
- ^ "Moon Distances for London, United Kingdom, England". timeanddate. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
- ^ Jamie Carter (2024-08-25). "Where can I see the total solar eclipse on Aug. 12, 2026?". Space.com. Retrieved 2024-09-18.
- ^ "Eclipse solar abril 2024 en directo: mapa, trayectoria en España y horarios del eclipse de sol, hoy en vivo". Diario AS (in Spanish). 2024-04-09. Retrieved 2024-09-18.
- ^ "Moon distance for London, United Kingdom – England in year 1999". www.timeanddate.com. Retrieved 2024-09-18.
- ^ Lagatta, Eric. "Total solar eclipses are becoming more rare. Here's why 'it's all downhill from here.'". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2024-09-18.