Solar eclipse of August 12, 2026

Solar eclipse of August 12, 2026
classification
Type	Total
area	Northern North America , Northern Asia , West Africa , Europe Total: Russia , Arctic , Greenland , Iceland , Spain
Saros cycle	126 (48 of 72)
Gamma value	+0.898
Greatest eclipse
Duration	2 minutes 18 seconds
place	North Atlantic
location	65 ° 13 ′  N , 25 ° 14 ′  W Coordinates: 65 ° 13 ′  N , 25 ° 14 ′  W
time	August 12, 2026 5:45:43 PM   UT
size	1.039

The total solar eclipse of August 12, 2026 takes place largely over Greenland , Iceland and Spain as well as the Arctic Ocean and the northern Atlantic . The maximum of the eclipse is west of Iceland in the Atlantic and the duration of the total phase is 2 minutes and 18 seconds.

The solar eclipse of August 12, 2026 belongs to the Saros cycle 126 and is the successor to the "Siberian solar eclipse" of August 1, 2008 .

course

Due to its northern location, the solar eclipse takes an unusual course: it begins much further east than it ends. This always happens when the shadow falls over an earth pole on the night side of the earth.

The eclipse begins at sunrise in the northernmost part of the Russian Krasnoyarsk region , far from any major settlement. The moon's shadow moves quickly northwards, just past the North Pole, across the Arctic Ocean to Greenland . The zone of totality then stretches southwards in east Greenland along over the North Atlantic past Iceland . Only the extreme west of Iceland is in the zone of totality. Since the Vestfirðir peninsula in the north-west of the island is near the place of maximum eclipse, totality of up to 2 minutes can be achieved there. The last total solar eclipse on Iceland on June 30, 1954 only barely grazed the island.

After the solar eclipse on August 11, 1999 , the umbra of the moon hits the European mainland again for the first time. For Spain , whose northern half is crossed by the umbra, this is the first total solar eclipse after 1905. Since the sun is already very low, the end of the eclipse, i.e. the end of the partial phase, can only be observed on Spain's north coast. The Balearic Islands are also on the path of totality, where totality only lasts up to 1min 36s.

Since the eclipse takes place during the holiday season, the totality zone is comparatively easy to reach and the climatic conditions suggest that good observation conditions are likely, great public interest in this solar eclipse can be expected.

In Spain there is another total solar eclipse within 12 months ( solar eclipse of August 2, 2027 ) and only six months after this one can still observe an annular solar eclipse in the country (January 26, 2028) .

Places in the totality zone

country	place	Duration	Time ( UT )	comment
Greenland	Station north	1m 7s	17:18
Iceland	Hellissandur	2m 7s	17:46
Iceland	Reykjavík	1m 0s	17:48
Spain	A Coruña	1m 15s	18:28
Spain	Oviedo	1m 48s	18:28
Spain	Leon	1m 44s	18:29
Spain	Burgos	1m 44s	18:29
Spain	Santander	1m 3s	18:27
Spain	Zaragoza	1m 24s	18:29
Spain	Valencia	0m 58s	18:33
Spain	Ibiza	1m 3s	18:33
Spain	Palma	1m 36s	18:32

1. ↑ ^{a b c The} sun sets partially darkened.
2. ↑ ^{a b c The} sun is very low and soon after totality goes down, partially eclipsed.

Visibility in German-speaking countries

The eclipse is visible in German-speaking countries as a deep partial solar eclipse until sunset. The largest eclipse is achieved in the southwest, in Leuk in the Swiss canton of Valais , with a maximum of 92% coverage. The lowest eclipse is achieved in the northeast, in Sassnitz on Rügen , with a maximum of 84% coverage. In eastern Austria , the sun sets with a maximum of eclipse.

country	place	cover	comment
Switzerland	Bern	91%
Switzerland	Basel	91%
Austria	Salzburg	89%	at sunset
Austria	Vienna	87%	at sunset
Germany	Munich	89%
Germany	Frankfurt am Main	88%
Germany	Berlin	85%
Germany	Hamburg	85%

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Average Weather In August For León / Castilla y Leon, Spain . Retrieved on March 1, 2018, In León on August 12 (...), with the percentage of time that the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy remaining about 25% throughout the day.
2. ↑ ^{a b c} The duration of the totality and the time of the middle of the totality were determined with the interactive map of NASA ( Total Solar Eclipse of 2026 Aug 12, Google Maps and Solar Eclipse Paths )

Web links

Commons : Solar eclipse of August 12th, 2026  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• NASA: Total Solar Eclipse of 2026 Aug 12
• NASA: Google Maps and Solar Eclipse Paths: 2021-2040
• NASA: Solar Eclipses of Saros 126