MOSCOW / RankWire.AI / – On August 12, 2026, a total solar eclipse moved across the Russian Arctic, then continued over the North Atlantic and onward into Europe. The Russian space agency Roscosmos announced that the eclipse started over Russia’s remote northern regions at approximately 17:00 GMT. As the Moon’s shadow advanced, it crossed Greenland and Iceland before reaching Spain and northeastern Portugal near sunset. The totality zone was confined to a narrow corridor, while surrounding areas across Europe, North America, and Africa experienced only partial darkness during the event.
NASA estimates placed the maximum eclipse at 17:45:53.8 UTC over the North Atlantic. The duration of totality in that region was roughly two minutes and 18 seconds. At the peak of the eclipse, the totality path spanned approximately 294 kilometers in width. During this phase, the Moon entirely covered the Sun’s luminous disk, revealing the solar corona, which forms the Sun’s outer atmosphere and becomes visible when the Moon obscures the photosphere. Outside the umbra, observers only saw part of the Sun covered.
The initial totality phase occurred in northern Russia as the lunar shadow entered the Arctic zone. It then traversed the Arctic Ocean and eastern Greenland before reaching western Iceland. The path included Reykjavík and extended southward across the North Atlantic toward the Iberian Peninsula. In late-day conditions, northern Spain experienced totality, and a small northeastern section of Portugal also fell within the totality corridor. Most of Europe, along with northwestern Africa and parts of North America, observed only a partial eclipse.
Moon’s shadow sweeps across Arctic and Atlantic regions
During the final land segment of totality, the eclipse’s path crossed a broad area of northern Spain. Crowds assembled in cities, towns, and rural locations across northern and central Spain to witness the event. This event marked Spain’s first total solar eclipse in over a century. In many spots, the Moon fully covered the Sun just before sunset, with the low solar angle placing the darkened Sun near the western horizon. This timing made Spain one of the last significant viewing areas in the eclipse’s path.
Conditions for observing the eclipse varied significantly along the route. In Reykjavík, totality was obscured by clouds, limiting direct views from the Icelandic capital, though some parts of western Iceland experienced clearer skies. Many locations in Spain also enjoyed clearer conditions as the eclipse neared sunset. Observers there saw the Moon completely obscure the Sun’s disk during the brief central phase. The partial phases lasted longer, with the Moon covering only part of the Sun before and after totality. Larger surrounding regions outside the totality corridor experienced only partial obscuration.
Spain witnesses total eclipse close to sunset
In areas experiencing a partial eclipse, the extent of the Sun covered by the Moon depended on location. Most of Canada and a significant portion of Europe encountered a partial solar eclipse. Some parts of the northern United States also fell within the broader visibility zone. Northwestern Africa observed a partial eclipse as well. During partial phases, viewers outside the totality zone were advised to use certified solar filters for safe direct viewing, only removing protection during the brief total phase when the Sun was fully covered. They had to reapply filters once direct sunlight reappeared.
As the lunar shadow crossed the Iberian Peninsula near sunset, the European land phase of the eclipse concluded. The event connected remote Arctic territories with Greenland, Iceland, and southwestern Europe along a continuous path. Northern Russia, Greenland, Iceland, Spain, and a small section of Portugal lay within the totality corridor. Larger regions across three continents experienced only partial phases. This eclipse followed the April 8, 2024 total solar event across North America, with the 2026 path mainly centered over the Arctic and North Atlantic regions.
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