Total Solar Eclipse of August 12, 2026

The total eclipse begins at sunrise in a remote area of northern Siberia. The path of totality sweeps over the Arctic icecap, coming within just one degree of the North Pole. The first landfall at Greenland comes at its northernmost tip and then crosses the Northeast Greenland National Park. The largest fjord in the world, Scoresby Sund, experiences up to 2 minutes and 16 seconds of totality. After crossing the Denmark Strait, totality covers western Iceland, including the capital Reykjavík. Shortly before ending at sunset, the total eclipse crosses northern Spain with a maximum duration of 1 minute and 49 seconds. The last landfall of totality is the Balearic Islands of Spain.

Total Solar Eclipse over East Greenland

While remote, the majestic fjords of northeast Greenland will be an attractive destination for eclipse tourists who can afford the expedition ships which will visit this area. Despite the cloudy conditions along much of the Greenland coast, the fjords have a micro-climate that may produce favorable conditions for viewing the eclipse. Katabatic winds form by the cooling of air above the Greenlandic icecap and the dense cold air falling down to the fjord has the beneficial effect of tending to clear the skies, yielding decent odds for success on eclipse day.

Total Solar Eclipse over Iceland

Totality visits the island nation of Iceland, including its capital Reykjavík. The Snæfellsnes Peninsula and the Westfjords are two of the most scenic regions of Iceland and also enjoy the longest duration of totality. An eclipse traveler could stay in Reykjavík and head early toward Keflavík, the Snæfellsnes, or the Westfjords depending on weather conditions expected on eclipse day. Or one could stay in Reykjavík to experience just over one minute of totality, enough to experience the peak life moment of witnessing the Sun’s corona.

Total Solar Eclipse over Spain

The majority of eclipse tourists will visit Spain on eclipse day due to the available visitor infrastructure and ease of access via the road network or airlines. There are many scenic locations to experience totality, but because the Sun is low in the sky during the total solar eclipse, take care to avoid obstructions from the local terrain or trees and buildings. The Balearic Islands will see an extremely low total eclipse, just 2 or 3 degrees above the horizon. This will be a unique and dramatic sight if weather cooperates.

Because the Moon’s shadow strikes the Earth at a low angle, the shadows in this animation are highly elongated.

The eclipse in motion

The animation shows the inner shadow (umbra) and outer shadow (penumbra) of the eclipse from the perspective of the Moon. The umbra is where the total solar eclipse will be seen. The penumbra is where a partial solar eclipse will be observed from North America, northeast Russia, northwest Africa, and much of Europe.

A careful look at this animation shows how the Earth’s axial tilt, the Moon’s orbital inclination, and the offset from Earth’s center (called gamma) combine to create this curved eclipse path of totality on Earth.

The eclipse in summary

The maximum duration of totality occurs within the red dot on the yellow path of totality near Iceland.

Eclipse magnitude is the fraction of the Moon’s apparent disk size compared to the Sun.

Eclipse gamma is the fraction of the how close the center of the Moon’s shadow passes to the center of Earth.

Learn about Saros 126 at www.eclipsewise.com/solar/SEsaros/SEsaros126.html

Totality over Greenland

The fjords of northeast Greenland will be the focus of eclipse expedition ships because of the magnificent scenery and a favorable micro-climate for clear skies on eclipse day.

Overview of the solar eclipse over Greenland and Iceland

Navigation map for use on ships in the fjords of northeast Greenland

Analysis of optimal ship siting for Greenland fjords prepared for Quark Expeditions.
Michael Zeiler will be the eclipse lecturer on the Ocean Explorer.
For information, see the link at the bottom of this page. — Analysis of optimal ship siting for Greenland fjords prepared for Quark Expeditions. Michael Zeiler will be the eclipse lecturer on the Ocean Explorer. For information, see the link at the bottom of this page.

Detail map of Scoresby Sund and Kong Oscar Fjord

Overview of Siberia and Greenland.
From the Atlas of Solar Eclipses - 2020 to 2045
by Michael Zeiler and Michael Bakich — Overview of Siberia and Greenland. From the Atlas of Solar Eclipses - 2020 to 2045 by Michael Zeiler and Michael Bakich

Navigation map designed for the use on ships in the Denmark Strait

Totality over Iceland

Iceland is a popular tourist destination and the scenic western peninsulas will host many eclipse visitors.

Detail map of the eclipse over west Iceland

Overview map of the eclipse over Iceland
From the Atlas of Solar Eclipses - 2020 to 2045
by Michael Zeiler and Michael Bakich — Overview map of the eclipse over Iceland From the Atlas of Solar Eclipses - 2020 to 2045 by Michael Zeiler and Michael Bakich

Totality over Spain

Spain will attract the greatest number of eclipse visitors due to easy access from the European road network and major airports.

Navigation map for ships off the northwest coast of Spain

Navigation map for ships in the Mediterranean

Overview map of the eclipse over Spain
From the Atlas of Solar Eclipses - 2020 to 2045
by Michael Zeiler and Michael Bakich — Overview map of the eclipse over Spain From the Atlas of Solar Eclipses - 2020 to 2045 by Michael Zeiler and Michael Bakich

Terrain shadows over Spain

A special challenge for the eclipse in Spain will be the low Sun altitude in the sky during totality. These maps guide you to where you can view the total eclipse without obscuration by the local terrain.