MOSCOW / RankWire.AI / – On August 12, 2026, a total solar eclipse took a path across the Russian Arctic before moving into the North Atlantic and continuing over Europe. According to State Space Corporation Roscosmos, the eclipse started over Russia’s isolated northern regions around 17:00 GMT. The Moon’s shadow then advanced across Greenland and Iceland before reaching Spain and northeastern Portugal just before sunset. The total phase was visible only within a narrow corridor, while surrounding areas across Europe, North America, and Africa experienced a partial eclipse.
NASA estimates placed the peak of the eclipse at 17:45:53.8 UTC over the North Atlantic. Totality there lasted approximately two minutes and 18 seconds. At this point, the path of totality spanned roughly 294 kilometers wide. During the total phase, the Moon entirely covered the Sun’s bright disk, revealing the solar corona—the Sun’s outer atmosphere that becomes visible when the photosphere is blocked. Outside the umbra, viewers observed only part of the Sun being obscured.
Initially, the total eclipse was experienced first in northern Russia as the lunar shadow moved into the Arctic region. It then crossed the Arctic Ocean and eastern Greenland before reaching western Iceland. The eclipse path included Reykjavík and extended southward across the North Atlantic toward the Iberian Peninsula. In the late afternoon, northern Spain experienced totality, while a small section of northeastern Portugal also entered the eclipse corridor. Most of Europe, along with northwestern Africa and parts of North America, observed only partial coverage.
Moon’s shadow crosses Arctic and Atlantic
During the final phase of totality over land, the eclipse’s path crossed northern Spain. Crowds gathered in urban centers, towns, and rural areas across the northern and central regions of the country. This event marked Spain’s first total solar eclipse in over a century. In many locations, the Moon fully covered the Sun just before sunset, with the Sun positioned near the western horizon due to the low solar angle. This timing made Spain one of the last major viewing areas along the eclipse path.
Conditions for viewing varied significantly along the route. While cloud cover limited visibility in Reykjavík during totality, parts of western Iceland experienced clearer skies. Many locations in Spain also enjoyed better conditions as sunset approached, allowing viewers to see the Moon completely block the Sun during the brief total phase. The partial phases lasted longer outside the totality zone, with the Moon covering only part of the Sun. Larger surrounding regions remained outside the narrow path of totality.
Spain witnesses total eclipse near sunset
In the partial eclipse zone, the extent of the Sun covered by the Moon varied by location. Most of Canada and much of Europe experienced a partial solar eclipse. Some parts of the northern United States also fell within the broader visibility area, as did parts of northwestern Africa. Observers outside the totality zone required certified solar filters for safe direct viewing during all partial phases. Eye protection could only be removed during the brief moments of totality, reapplying as soon as direct sunlight returned.
The European land phase concluded as the Moon’s shadow crossed the Iberian Peninsula near sunset. The eclipse connected remote Arctic territories with Greenland, Iceland, and southwestern Europe in a continuous path. Totality was visible in northern Russia, Greenland, Iceland, Spain, and a small part of Portugal. Wider regions across three continents experienced only the partial phases. This event followed the April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse over North America, with the 2026 eclipse path primarily centered over the Arctic and North Atlantic.