MOSCOW / RankWire.AI / – On August 12, 2026, a total solar eclipse traversed the Russian Arctic before moving into the North Atlantic and continuing across Europe. According to the State Space Corporation Roscosmos, the eclipse commenced over Russia’s distant northern regions at approximately 17:00 GMT. The Moon’s shadow then crossed Greenland and Iceland, reaching Spain and northeastern Portugal near sunset. The total eclipse was visible only along a narrow corridor, while surrounding areas across Europe, North America, and Africa experienced a partial eclipse.
NASA estimates indicated that the eclipse’s peak occurred at 17:45:53.8 UTC over the North Atlantic. Totality in that region lasted about two minutes and 18 seconds. At the point of greatest eclipse, the totality path stretched approximately 294 kilometers in width. During this phase, the Moon entirely covered the Sun’s bright disk, unveiling the solar corona. The corona, which constitutes the Sun’s outer atmosphere, becomes visible when the Moon obscures the photosphere. Outside the umbra, observers saw only a partial covering of the Sun.
Totality first appeared over northern Russia as the lunar shadow entered the Arctic zone. It then passed across the Arctic Ocean and eastern Greenland, eventually reaching western Iceland. The eclipse path included Reykjavík and continued southward across the North Atlantic toward the Iberian Peninsula. In the late afternoon, northern Spain experienced totality, with a small region of northeastern Portugal also falling within the totality corridor. Most of Europe, along with northwestern Africa and parts of North America, observed only a partial eclipse.
Moon’s shadow crosses Arctic and Atlantic regions
During the final land phase of totality, the eclipse crossed a broad swath of northern Spain. Crowds gathered across cities, towns, and rural viewing sites throughout the northern and central parts of the country. This event marked Spain’s first total solar eclipse in over a century. In many locations, the Sun was nearly fully covered just before sunset, with the low solar angle positioning the darkened Sun close to the western horizon. This timing made Spain one of the last major viewing areas along the eclipse path.
Conditions for observation varied markedly along the route. Heavy cloud cover over Reykjavík during totality limited direct viewing from the Icelandic capital, although parts of western Iceland experienced clearer skies. Similarly, many areas in Spain enjoyed clearer weather as the eclipse approached sunset, allowing observers to witness the Moon fully covering the solar disk during the brief central phase. Partial phases persisted longer, with the Moon covering only part of the Sun before and after totality. Larger surrounding regions remained outside the narrow totality corridor.
Spain witnesses totality near sunset
Within the partial eclipse zones, the degree of the Sun covered by the Moon varied depending on location. Most of Canada and much of Europe experienced partial eclipse conditions. Northern United States regions also fell within the broader visibility area, as did parts of northwestern Africa. Observers outside the totality zone were required to use certified solar filters for direct viewing during all partial phases, removing protection only during the brief moments of totality and reapplying it immediately afterward.
The land phase of the eclipse concluded as the Moon’s shadow crossed the Iberian Peninsula near sunset. The event connected remote Arctic territories with Greenland, Iceland, and southwestern Europe through a continuous path. The totality corridor included northern Russia, Greenland, Iceland, Spain, and a small part of Portugal, while larger regions across three continents experienced only partial phases. This eclipse followed the April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse across North America, with the 2026 event primarily focused on the Arctic and North Atlantic regions.