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Solar eclipse of August 12, 2026

Total solar eclipse From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A total solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's descending node of orbit on Wednesday, 12 August 2026,[1] with a magnitude of 1.0386. Totality occurred in a narrow path across Earth's surface, with the partial solar eclipse visible over a surrounding region thousands of kilometres wide. Occurring about 2.3 days after perigee (on 10 August 2026, at 11:18 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.[2]

Gamma0.8977
Magnitude1.0386
Duration138 s (2 min 18 s)
Coordinates65.2°N 25.2°W / 65.2; -25.2
Quick facts Gamma, Magnitude ...
Solar eclipse of August 12, 2026
Total eclipse
Totality with solar corona from León, Spain
Map
Gamma0.8977
Magnitude1.0386
Maximum eclipse
Duration138 s (2 min 18 s)
Coordinates65.2°N 25.2°W / 65.2; -25.2
Max. width of band294 km (183 mi)
Times (UTC)
Greatest eclipse17:47:06
References
Saros126 (48 of 72)
Catalog # (SE5000)9566
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The total eclipse passed over northernmost Siberia, the Arctic, Greenland, Iceland, the Atlantic Ocean, northern Spain, a small part of northeastern Portugal, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Balearic Islands.[3] The points of greatest duration and greatest eclipse were just 45 km (28 mi) off the western coast of Iceland around 65°30' N and 25°25' W, where the totality lasted 2 minutes and 18.2 seconds.[4] The first part of the total eclipse path unusually passed from east to west from Russia to Greenland, passing about 100 km south of the North Pole.[5][6] A partial eclipse covered more than 90% of the Sun in Ireland, Great Britain, and northern Italy, and to a lesser extent across much of the rest of Europe, North Africa, and northern North America.[7][8] The total eclipse passed over northern Spain from the Atlantic coast to the Mediterranean coast, as well as the Balearic Islands.[9][10] The total eclipse was visible from the cities of A Coruña, Valencia, Zaragoza, Palma, and Bilbao, but both Madrid and Barcelona were just outside the path of totality.[11][10]

This was the first total eclipse to be visible in Europe since 20 March 2015, and the first one to cross over Mainland Europe since 11 August 1999.[12] It was the first total solar eclipse visible in Iceland since 30 June 1954, also solar saros series 126 (descending node), and the only one to occur in the 21st century; the next one visible over Iceland will be in 2196. It was also the first total solar eclipse visible from the territory of present-day Spain since 2 October 1959 in the Canary Islands, and the first from the Spanish mainland since 30 August 1905.[13] The next total eclipse visible in Spain will happen less than a year later on 2 August 2027.[14]

Observations

Animated path

The eclipse path proceeded from North Siberia throughout the Arctic Region, Iceland, the eastern Atlantic to Spain, and the Mediterranean.[15]

Solar eclipse below the horizon

The considerable eclipse gamma (more than 0.8) gave observers—where the totally eclipsed Sun was just below the horizon—an opportunity to observe the lunar shadow in the high atmosphere as well as shortened civil twilight and extended nautical twilight. The darkening of the twilight sky improved the chances of observing the inner zodiacal light.[16]

Bright planets and stars visible during totality

Far northern Russia was treated to a dawn eclipse. In the east of the Taymyr Peninsula (north-east of Krasnoyarsk Krai) the maximum of total phase occurred on 13 August at 00:00 local time during the midnight sun.[17]

In Iceland, the eclipse was a mid-afternoon event occurring about 4 hours before sunset; it started in Reykjavík at around 16:47, with totality being reached at 17:48.[18]

In Spain, the eclipse occurred about 1 hour before sunset. Mercury and Jupiter, west of the eclipsed Sun, were therefore very low below it. Venus was brilliant well up in the southwest, with Spica to its east. Arcturus was high in the south, and the Summer Triangle was well up in the east. Lower in the south, Antares was minutes away from transit.[19]

Gallery

Total

Partial

Views outside Europe

Composites

Chronophotography of the eclipse from Cheverny, France

News and tourism

People watching the eclipse in Antwerp, Belgium
Queue for eclipse glasses, London, UK
Totality of the solar eclipse in Valencia, Spain, with large crowds of visitors gathered to witness the event.
Totality of the solar eclipse in Valencia, Spain, with large crowds of visitors gathered to witness the event.

The longest the eclipse lasted on land was in Látrabjarg, in the remote Westfjords of Iceland. Plans were made to ensure safety in the area, but many of the roads to Látrabjarg are very narrow and dangerous. There was talk of closing the area to car traffic and ferrying people by bus.[20] Work had started on repairing parts of the road to Látrabjarg, partly as routine maintenance but also because of the eclipse.[21]

All locations where the eclipse was likely to be better seen experienced a surge in hotel room prices.[22]

Roscosmos and Yandex Weather organized a live broadcast of the partial eclipse (up to 79% obscuration) in Saint Petersburg from the top of Lakhta Center, the tallest building in Russia and Europe. Astronaut Pyotr Dubrov also captured the eclipse from the ISS, at an altitude of approximately 4,000 kilometers.[23]

In Spain and Portugal, there was a surge of eclipse tourists moving towards locations that social media and news reports identified as the best spots to see the eclipse. In Spain, 660 official viewing sites were selected by regional governments to handle the expected influx of more than 440,000 people. Authorities estimated between 1.5 million and 6 million people could be on the road during the day to head to viewing sites, which prompted the deployment of 24,000 police officers around the area of the eclipse.[24][25] In Portugal, news outlets outlined the use of eclipse glasses,[26] pointed out a Perseid meteor shower would happen after the eclipse,[27] and explored the history of the last time a total solar eclipse was seen in the country (17 April 1912)[28] and the fact that the next one will only be seen in 118 years.[26][29]

Euronews reported on the hat-trick of solar eclipses that Spain will experience in the next three consecutive years.[30]

On 13 August, the BBC published an article about how to check for eye damage caused by the Sun during an eclipse, citing that 70 people were left with permanent damaged sight after the 1999 eclipse.[31]

Research

GeoColor satellite imagery at 18:10 UTC with Tropical Storm Cristobal in the bottom left

NASA flew one of its WB-57s to chase the eclipse's shadow over the North Atlantic Ocean near Iceland, allowing more time to conduct coronal research. The aircraft flew at an altitude of 50,000 feet (15.2 kilometres) to avoid cloud cover and reduce atmospheric effects, and its planned speed of 460 miles per hour (400 kn) aimed to extend its view of totality from 2 minutes and 18 seconds to nearly 3 minutes. On board the aircraft were four cameras to capture the corona in various wavelengths of visible and infrared light. Data captured aims to help researchers better understand the corona's temperature and the causes of solar wind.[32][33][34]

Eclipse timing

Places experiencing total eclipse

More information Country or territory, City or place ...
Solar eclipse of 12 August 2026 (local times)[1]
Country or territory City or place Start of partial eclipse Start of total eclipse Maximum eclipse End of total eclipse End of partial eclipse Totality (minutes) Eclipse (hours) Maximum magnitude
 Greenland Station Nord 16:19:51 17:18:08 17:18:16 17:18:24 18:15:53 0:16 1:56 1.0005
 Iceland Ísafjörður 16:43:17 17:44:08 17:44:53 17:45:39 18:43:59 1:31 2:01 1.0052
Látrabjarg 16:43:3917:44:2817:45:3417:46:4118:44:552:132:01 1.014
Borgarnes 16:46:28 17:47:41 17:48:00 17:48:21 18:46:53 0:40 2:00 1.0012
Reykjavík 16:47:11 17:48:16 17:48:47 17:49:17 18:47:40 1:01 2:00 1.0024
Keflavík 16:47:11 17:48:05 17:48:54 17:49:44 18:47:54 1:39 2:01 1.0064
 Portugal Guadramil / Rio de Onor 18:33:49 19:30:20 19:30:29 19:30:37 20:23:31 (sunset) 0:17 1:49 1.0006
 Spain Santander 19:31:22 20:26:57 20:27:29 20:28:01 21:20:09 1:04 1:52 1.0036
Bilbao 19:31:47 20:27:23 20:27:38 20:27:54 21:19:07 (sunset) 0:31 1:47 1.0011
Gijón 19:31:02 20:26:48 20:27:40 20:28:33 21:20:46 1:45 1:50 1.0127
Oviedo 19:31:19 20:27:05 20:28:00 20:28:54 21:21:06 1:49 1:50 1.0155
Vitoria-Gasteiz 19:32:31 20:27:43 20:28:15 20:28:47 21:17:12 (sunset) 1:04 1:45 1.0038
A Coruña 19:30:56 20:27:40 20:28:19 20:28:57 21:22:01 1:17 1:51 1.005
Lugo 19:31:43 20:28:07 20:28:50 20:29:31 21:22:16 1:24 1:51 1.0063
Logroño 19:33:13 20:28:09 20:28:50 20:29:31 21:15:33 (sunset) 1:22 1:42 1.0067
Burgos 19:33:21 20:28:24 20:29:17 20:30:08 21:20:12 (sunset) 1:44 1:47 1.0139
Ponferrada 19:32:42 20:28:44 20:29:28 20:30:11 21:22:36 1:27 1:50 1.0069
Zaragoza 19:34:40 20:29:02 20:29:44 20:30:27 21:07:33 (sunset) 1:25 1:33 1.0074
Palencia 19:33:53 20:29:08 20:29:59 20:30:51 21:22:35 1:43 1:49 1.0123
Salou 19:35:38 20:29:31 20:30:05 20:30:39 20:58:21 (sunset) 1:08 1:23 1.0046
Valladolid 19:34:30 20:29:53 20:30:37 20:31:20 21:22:54 (sunset) 1:27 1:48 1.0076
Mahón 19:37:22 20:30:16 20:30:51 20:31:26 20:43:31 (sunset) 1:10 1:06 1.0055
Port de Pollença 19:37:27 20:30:30 20:31:14 20:31:58 20:48:16 (sunset) 1:28 1:11 1.0097
Alcúdia 19:37:33 20:30:34 20:31:19 20:32:03 20:48:01 (sunset) 1:29 1:10 1.0102
Segovia 19:35:47 20:31:09 20:31:37 20:32:06 21:19:04 (sunset) 0:57 1:43 1.003
Teruel 19:36:55 20:31:04 20:31:51 20:32:38 21:05:52 1:34 1:29 1.0105
Palma 19:38:03 20:31:05 20:31:53 20:32:41 20:49:22 (sunset) 1:36 1:11 1.0152
Guadalajara 19:36:23 20:31:21 20:31:55 20:32:28 21:14:38 (sunset) 1:07 1:38 1.0042
Cuenca 19:37:23 20:32:06 20:32:33 20:32:59 21:09:27 (sunset) 0:53 1:32 1.0027
Valencia 19:38:24 20:32:30 20:33:00 20:33:30 21:01:16 (sunset) 1:00 1:23 1.0036
Sant Antoni de Portmany 19:39:08 20:32:40 20:33:13 20:33:46 20:53:39 (sunset) 1:06 1:15 1.0047
Ibiza 19:39:15 20:32:45 20:33:18 20:33:49 20:53:00 (sunset) 1:04 1:14 1.0043
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Places experiencing partial eclipse

More information Country or territory, City or place ...
Solar eclipse of 12 August 2026 (local times)[1]
Country or territory City or place Start of
partial
eclipse		 Maximum
eclipse		 End of
partial
eclipse		 Duration of
eclipse
(hours &
minutes)		 Maximum
coverage
 Canada Alert 12:09:49 13:09:31 14:08:56 1:59 93.42%
 Svalbard and Jan Mayen Longyearbyen 18:28:51 19:24:53 20:19:53 1:51 90.74%
 Greenland Danmarkshavn 16:26:59 17:26:23 18:24:29 1:58 99.12%
 Greenland Ittoqqortoormiit 15:36:14 16:37:02 17:35:50 2:00 99.67%
 Iceland Vestmannaeyjar 16:49:11 17:50:30 18:49:02 2:00 99.63%
 Faroe Islands Tórshavn 17:56:29 18:54:51 19:50:34 1:54 91.22%
 Sweden Stockholm 19:03:17 19:56:12 20:46:01 (sunset) 1:43 81.02%
 Norway Oslo 19:02:40 19:57:03 20:49:13 1:47 83.07%
 Poland Warsaw 19:14:37 20:02:54 20:06:41 (sunset) 0:52 81.72%
 Denmark Copenhagen 19:10:08 20:03:37 20:52:19 (sunset) 1:42 83.54%
 Germany Berlin 19:15:28 20:08:25 20:38:04 (sunset) 1:23 84.89%
 Isle of Man Douglas 18:11:47 19:09:10 20:03:29 1:52 92.39%
 Austria Vienna 19:22:03 20:10:14 20:13:39 (sunset) 0:52 84.89%
 Ireland Dublin 18:12:54 19:10:42 20:05:19 1:52 94.02%
 Netherlands Amsterdam 19:16:05 20:10:56 21:03:03 1:47 88.26%
 Italy Rome 19:32:47 20:11:38 20:14:38 (sunset) 0:42 69.17%
 Czech Republic Prague 19:19:22 20:11:48 20:26:34 (sunset) 1:07 86.29%
 Slovenia Ljubljana 19:25:51 20:12:28 20:15:44 (sunset) 0:50 84.25%
 United Kingdom London 18:17:19 19:13:19 20:06:21 1:49 91.42%
 Belgium Brussels 19:18:46 20:13:35 21:05:36 1:50 89.55%
 Luxembourg Luxembourg 19:20:56 20:15:11 20:58:21 (sunset) 1:37 89.68%
 France Paris 19:22:13 20:17:19 21:09:28 1:49 92.12%
  Switzerland Zurich 19:24:36 20:18:01 20:42:48 (sunset) 1:18 90.66%
 Monaco Monaco 19:30:44 20:23:58 20:38:45 (sunset) 1:08 95.01%
 Andorra Andorra la Vella 19:33:12 20:27:45 20:59:43 (sunset) 1:27 99.03%
 Spain Madrid 19:36:45 20:32:23 21:16:22 (sunset) 1:40 99.98%
 Algeria Algiers 18:42:36 19:33:45 19:42:40 (sunset) 1:00 96.09%
 Portugal Lisbon 18:39:17 19:36:07 20:29:08 1:50 94.52%
 Gibraltar Gibraltar 19:44:09 20:39:27 21:15:11 (sunset) 1:31 93.03%
 Morocco Casablanca 18:48:35 19:43:52 20:20:01 (sunset) 1:31 86.97%
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Eclipse parameters

The first table outlines times at which the Moon's penumbra or umbra attained the specific parameter, and the second table gives various other parameters pertaining to this eclipse.[35]

More information Event, Terrestrial Time (TD) ...
Solar eclipse times
Event Terrestrial Time (TD)
First penumbral external contact 15:35:23.9 TD
First umbral external contact 16:59:18.1 TD
First central line 17:01:16.5 TD
First umbral internal contact 17:03:19.0 TD
Equatorial conjunction 17:05:01.6 TD
Ecliptic conjunction 17:37:53.9 TD
Greatest duration 17:45:53.9 TD
Greatest eclipse 17:47:05.8 TD
Last umbral internal contact 18:31:21.6 TD
Last central line 18:33:21.7 TD
Last umbral external contact 18:35:17.7 TD
Last penumbral external contact 19:59:09.2 TD
Solar eclipse parameters
Parameter Value
Eclipse magnitude 1.03863
Eclipse obscuration 1.07876
Gamma 0.89774
Sun right ascension 09h 29m 47.3s
Sun declination +14 °48' 04.5"
Sun semi-diameter 15' 47.0"
Sun equatorial horizontal parallax 08.7"
Moon right ascension 09h 31m 17.3s
Moon declination +15° 36' 58.5"
Moon semi-diameter 16'16.9"
Moon equatorial horizontal parallax 0°59'45.1"
ΔT 72.4 s
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Eclipse season

See also: Eclipse cycle

This eclipse was part of an eclipse season, a period, roughly every six months, when eclipses occur. Only two (or occasionally three) eclipse seasons occur each year, and each season lasts about 35 days and repeats just short of six months (173 days) later; thus two full eclipse seasons always occur each year. Either two or three eclipses happen each eclipse season. In the sequence below, each eclipse is separated by a fortnight.[36]

More information 12 AugustDescending node (new moon), 28 AugustAscending node (full moon) ...
Eclipse season of August 2026
12 August
Descending node (new moon)
28 August
Ascending node (full moon)
Total solar eclipse
Solar saros 126		Partial lunar eclipse
Lunar saros 138
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Related eclipses

Eclipses in 2026

Metonic

  • Preceded by: Solar eclipse of 25 October 2022
  • Followed by: Solar eclipse of 1 June 2030

Tzolkinex

  • Preceded by: Solar eclipse of 2 July 2019
  • Followed by: Solar eclipse of 23 September 2033

Half-saros

Tritos

  • Preceded by: Solar eclipse of 13 September 2015
  • Followed by: Solar eclipse of 13 July 2037

Solar saros 126

Inex

This eclipse is a member of Inex series 70.[40]

  • Preceded by: Solar eclipse of 2 September 1997
  • Followed by: Solar eclipse of 24 July 2055[40]

Triad

  • Preceded by: Solar eclipse of 12 October 1939
  • Followed by: Solar eclipse of 13 June 2113

Solar eclipses of 2026–2029

This eclipse is a member of a semester series. An eclipse in a semester series of solar eclipses repeats approximately every 177 days and 4 hours (a semester) at alternating nodes of the Moon's orbit.[41]

The partial solar eclipses on June 12, 2029 and December 5, 2029 occur in the next lunar year eclipse set.

More information series sets from 2026 to 2029, Ascending node ...
Solar eclipse series sets from 2026 to 2029
Ascending node   Descending node
Saros Map Gamma Saros Map Gamma
121 February 17, 2026

Annular		 −0.97427 126

León, Spain		 August 12, 2026

Total		 0.89774
131 February 6, 2027

Annular		 −0.29515 136 August 2, 2027

Total		 0.14209
141 January 26, 2028

Annular		 0.39014 146 July 22, 2028

Total		 −0.60557
151 January 14, 2029

Partial		 1.05532 156 July 11, 2029

Partial		 −1.41908
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Saros 126

This eclipse is a part of Saros series 126, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, and containing 72 events. The series started with a partial solar eclipse on March 10, 1179. It contains annular eclipses from June 4, 1323 through April 4, 1810; hybrid eclipses from April 14, 1828 through May 6, 1864; and total eclipses from May 17, 1882 through August 23, 2044. The series ends at member 72 as a partial eclipse on May 3, 2459. Its eclipses are tabulated in three columns; every third eclipse in the same column is one exeligmos apart, so they all cast shadows over approximately the same parts of the Earth.

The longest duration of annularity was produced by member 11 at 6 minutes, 30 seconds on June 26, 1359, and the longest duration of totality was produced by member 45 at 2 minutes, 36 seconds on July 10, 1972. All eclipses in this series occur at the Moon’s descending node of orbit.[42]

More information Series members 36–57 occur between 1801 and 2200: ...
Series members 36–57 occur between 1801 and 2200:
36 37 38

April 4, 1810
April 14, 1828
April 25, 1846
39 40 41

May 6, 1864
May 17, 1882
May 28, 1900
42 43 44

June 8, 1918
June 19, 1936
June 30, 1954
45 46 47

July 10, 1972
July 22, 1990
August 1, 2008
48 49 50

August 12, 2026
August 23, 2044
September 3, 2062
51 52 53

September 13, 2080
September 25, 2098
October 6, 2116
54 55 56

October 17, 2134
October 28, 2152
November 8, 2170
57

November 18, 2188
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Metonic series

The metonic series repeats eclipses every 19 years (6939.69 days), lasting about 5 cycles. Eclipses occur in nearly the same calendar date. In addition, the octon subseries repeats 1/5 of that or every 3.8 years (1387.94 days). All eclipses in this table occur at the Moon's descending node.

More information 22 eclipse events between June 1, 2011 and October 24, 2098, May 31–June 1 ...
22 eclipse events between June 1, 2011 and October 24, 2098
May 31–June 1 March 19–20 January 5–6 October 24–25 August 12–13
118 120 122 124 126

June 1, 2011
March 20, 2015
January 6, 2019
October 25, 2022
August 12, 2026
128 130 132 134 136

June 1, 2030
March 20, 2034
January 5, 2038
October 25, 2041
August 12, 2045
138 140 142 144 146

May 31, 2049
March 20, 2053
January 5, 2057
October 24, 2060
August 12, 2064
148 150 152 154 156

May 31, 2068
March 19, 2072
January 6, 2076
October 24, 2079
August 13, 2083
158 160 162 164

June 1, 2087
October 24, 2098
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Tritos series

This eclipse is a part of a tritos cycle, repeating at alternating nodes every 135 synodic months (≈ 3986.63 days, or 11 years minus 1 month). Their appearance and longitude are irregular due to a lack of synchronization with the anomalistic month (period of perigee), but groupings of 3 tritos cycles (≈ 33 years minus 3 months) come close (≈ 434.044 anomalistic months), so eclipses are similar in these groupings.

More information Series members between 1801 and 2200 ...
Series members between 1801 and 2200

March 25, 1819
(Saros 107)
February 23, 1830
(Saros 108)
January 22, 1841
(Saros 109)
November 21, 1862
(Saros 111)

August 20, 1895
(Saros 114)
July 21, 1906
(Saros 115)
June 19, 1917
(Saros 116)

May 19, 1928
(Saros 117)
April 19, 1939
(Saros 118)
March 18, 1950
(Saros 119)
February 15, 1961
(Saros 120)
January 16, 1972
(Saros 121)

December 15, 1982
(Saros 122)
November 13, 1993
(Saros 123)
October 14, 2004
(Saros 124)
September 13, 2015
(Saros 125)
August 12, 2026
(Saros 126)

July 13, 2037
(Saros 127)
June 11, 2048
(Saros 128)
May 11, 2059
(Saros 129)
April 11, 2070
(Saros 130)
March 10, 2081
(Saros 131)

February 7, 2092
(Saros 132)
January 8, 2103
(Saros 133)
December 8, 2113
(Saros 134)
November 6, 2124
(Saros 135)
October 7, 2135
(Saros 136)

September 6, 2146
(Saros 137)
August 5, 2157
(Saros 138)
July 5, 2168
(Saros 139)
June 5, 2179
(Saros 140)
May 4, 2190
(Saros 141)
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Inex series

This eclipse is a part of the long period inex cycle, repeating at alternating nodes, every 358 synodic months (≈ 10,571.95 days, or 29 years minus 20 days). Their appearance and longitude are irregular due to a lack of synchronization with the anomalistic month (period of perigee). However, groupings of 3 inex cycles (≈ 87 years minus 2 months) comes close (≈ 1,151.02 anomalistic months), so eclipses are similar in these groupings.

More information Series members between 1801 and 2200 ...
Series members between 1801 and 2200

January 1, 1824
(Saros 119)
December 11, 1852
(Saros 120)
November 21, 1881
(Saros 121)

November 2, 1910
(Saros 122)
October 12, 1939
(Saros 123)
September 22, 1968
(Saros 124)

September 2, 1997
(Saros 125)
August 12, 2026
(Saros 126)
July 24, 2055
(Saros 127)

July 3, 2084
(Saros 128)
June 13, 2113
(Saros 129)
May 25, 2142
(Saros 130)

May 5, 2171
(Saros 131)
April 14, 2200
(Saros 132)
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