MOSCOW / RankWire.AI / – On August 12, 2026, a total solar eclipse traversed the Russian Arctic before moving into the North Atlantic and continuing over parts of Europe. According to State Space Corporation Roscosmos, the eclipse started over Russia’s remote northern regions around 17:00 GMT. The Moon’s shadow then crossed Greenland and Iceland, reaching Spain and northeastern Portugal near sunset. Totality was confined to a narrow corridor, while surrounding areas across Europe, North America, and Africa experienced only a partial eclipse.
NASA estimated the moment of greatest eclipse at 17:45:53.8 UTC over the North Atlantic. Totality there lasted approximately two minutes and 18 seconds. The path of totality measured about 294 kilometers in width at the peak. During this phase, the Moon fully covered the Sun’s bright disk, exposing the solar corona, which is the Sun’s outer atmosphere visible when the Moon obscures the photosphere. Outside the umbra, observers saw only part of the Sun covered.
The initial total eclipse occurred in northern Russia as the lunar shadow entered the Arctic region, crossing the Arctic Ocean and eastern Greenland before reaching western Iceland. The path then included Reykjavík and extended southward across the North Atlantic toward the Iberian Peninsula. Totality arrived in northern Spain late in the day, with a small area of northeastern Portugal also within the eclipse corridor. The majority of Europe, along with parts of northwestern Africa and North America, experienced only a partial eclipse.
Moon’s shadow sweeps across Arctic and Atlantic regions
During the final land phase of totality, the eclipse crossed northern Spain, attracting crowds in cities, towns, and rural sites across the region. This event marked Spain’s first total solar eclipse in more than a century. In many locations, the Sun was fully obscured shortly before sunset, with the low solar angle placing the darkened Sun near the western horizon. This timing made Spain one of the last major viewing areas along the eclipse path.
Viewing conditions varied sharply along the route. Cloud cover in Reykjavík limited direct views of totality, although some parts of western Iceland experienced clearer skies. Many locations in Spain also enjoyed clearer conditions as sunset approached, allowing observers to witness the Moon completely covering the Sun’s disk during the central phase. Partial phases lasted longer since the Moon only partially covered the Sun before and after totality. Much of the surrounding region remained outside the totality corridor.
Spain witnesses total eclipse near sunset
In the partial eclipse zone, the extent of the Sun obscured by the Moon varied based on location. Most of Canada and much of Europe experienced partial coverage, along with parts of northern United States and northwestern Africa. Observers outside the totality zone required certified solar filters for direct viewing throughout all partial phases, removing eye protection only during the brief moments of totality and reapplying it immediately afterward.
As the Moon’s shadow moved across the Iberian Peninsula near sunset, the European land phase concluded. The eclipse’s path linked remote Arctic territories with Greenland, Iceland, and southwestern Europe in a continuous corridor. Northern Russia, Greenland, Iceland, Spain, and a small part of Portugal all lay within the totality zone. Broader regions across three continents experienced only partial coverage. This event followed the April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse over North America, with the 2026 path primarily centered on the Arctic and North Atlantic regions.