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). 

The Midnight Sun

Above the Arctic Circle, days during the summer are very unusual. At some point in May or early June the sun does not set, but instead stays above the horizon continuously, and remains above the horizon for several weeks. At midnight during this season, you can see the sun shining brightly above the horizon. 

I had the good fortune to experience the Midnight Sun in June of 2025 and found the entire visual to be very special, in particular when I thought about the actual physics and astronomy behind the motion of the sun in summer in these very high latitude locations. 

In the July 2025 episode of the Translunar Podcast, I provide a description of this unique experience and share some insights into the physics and astronomy behind this special phenomenon. 

Translunar Podcast, courtesy of the Volkssternwarte München, available anywhere you get your podcasts. 

Image courtesy of the author. 

Space Weather

Between the Earth and the Sun are 93 Million Miles (150 Million Kilometers) of empty space. Or is it really empty? Actually, there is a lot going on in that vast expanse and we call that Space Weather. We live, astronomically speaking, quite close to a fairly ordinary star and thank goodness, because a 4 billion year old star that rarely changes its output has allowed life to emerge and thrive on Earth. But the Sun still has its moments and causes surprisingly regular phenomenon on Earth, much more than just warming the atmosphere.

I have recorded a podcast, in which I explain in detail what kind of space weather the Sun creates for us, and how you can learn more about these phenomena, including sunspots, northern lights, and solar flares. 

The website Spaceweather.com is an excellent resource for tracking the outbursts and phenomenon that are driven by the cycles and episodes of our own home star.

Image credit: SDO/HMI