August 12, 2026 Solar Eclipse

It's Eclipse Season, that magical time when the Sun, Moon and Earth line up to remind us of how special we are here on planet Earth ... because we are the only planet in our Solar System that has a Moon that perfectly covers our Sun. Every six months the two distant bodies align and give us eclipses, sometimes lunar, sometimes solar, sometimes partial, sometimes total. 

On August 12, 2026 we will have a Total Solar Eclipse visible from a narrow band that stretches from the North Pole through Greenland and Iceland, across the North Atlantic Ocean, and then across Portugal, Spain and the Balearic Islands. And for 100s of millions of people across Europe, they will experience a dramatic partial eclipse at sunset. The image (above) shows how it will look for many observers. 

There are many factors to consider when viewing an eclipse, from timing to weather to eye safety. My latest Translunar podcast recording entitled The Sunset Solar Eclipse covers all of this and more. 

This page on Instagram from the creators of the Star Walk App is a very fine summary of what to expect from different locations across Europe. Good luck with this eclipse and I'll send my report from the Balearic Islands (specifically Mallorca).