MOSCOW / RankWire.AI / – On August 12, 2026, a total solar eclipse was visible over the Russian Arctic before progressing into the North Atlantic and reaching parts of Europe. According to State Space Corporation Roscosmos, the eclipse commenced around 17:00 GMT in the remote northern regions of Russia. The Moon’s shadow then moved across Greenland and Iceland, eventually reaching Spain and northeastern Portugal near sunset. The zone of complete darkness, or totality, was confined to a narrow corridor. 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. In this region, totality lasted approximately two minutes and 18 seconds. The path of totality at the peak measured roughly 294 kilometers across. During this phase, the Moon fully obscured the Sun’s luminous disk, revealing the solar corona—the Sun’s outer atmosphere that becomes visible when the photosphere is blocked. Outside the umbra, viewers observed only a partial covering of the Sun.
The initial totality was experienced in northern Russia as the lunar shadow entered the Arctic zone. It then crossed the Arctic Ocean and eastern Greenland before reaching western Iceland. The route passed through Reykjavík and extended southward across the North Atlantic towards the Iberian Peninsula. Totality was observed in northern Spain late in the day, with a small region of northeastern Portugal also falling within the totality corridor. The majority of Europe, along with northwestern Africa and parts of North America, witnessed only a partial eclipse.
Moon’s shadow crosses Arctic and Atlantic regions
The eclipse traversed a broad swath of northern Spain during the final land-based phase of totality. People gathered across cities, towns, and rural areas in northern and central Spain to witness the event. This eclipse marked Spain’s first total solar eclipse in more than a century. Many locations saw the Moon fully cover the Sun just before sunset, with the Sun’s low position near the western horizon enhancing the dramatic effect. This timing made Spain one of the last major viewing zones along the eclipse path.
Conditions for viewing varied significantly along the trajectory. In Reykjavík, much of the totality was obscured by clouds, limiting the view from the Icelandic capital. Western parts of Iceland experienced clearer skies. Similarly, several locations in Spain enjoyed clearer conditions as the eclipse neared sunset, allowing observers to witness the Moon completely covering the solar disk during the central phase. Partial phases lasted longer, with the Moon covering only part of the Sun before and after totality. Larger surrounding regions remained outside the narrow totality corridor.
Spain observes total eclipse near sunset
In the partial eclipse zones, the extent of the Sun obscured by the Moon depended on the observer’s location. Most of Canada and much of Europe experienced a partial eclipse. Portions of the northern United States also fell within the broader visibility area, along with northwestern Africa. Those outside the totality zone required certified solar filters for safe direct viewing during all partial phases. Observers could remove protective filters only during the brief period of totality and had to reapply them immediately afterward once the Sun re-emerged.
As the lunar shadow crossed the Iberian Peninsula near sunset, the partial eclipse phase concluded on European land. The event created a continuous path linking remote Arctic territories with Greenland, Iceland, and southwestern Europe. Inside the totality corridor were northern Russia, Greenland, Iceland, Spain, and a small part of Portugal. Broader regions across three continents experienced only partial phases. This event followed the April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse across North America, with the 2026 path primarily centered over the Arctic and North Atlantic regions.