The August 12, 2026 Eclipse: Clouded Out in Iceland, Clear Over Spain

An eclipse is the only astronomical event with a hard deadline and no rain date. On August 12, 2026, the Moon’s shadow crossed two countries that had waited a long time for it, and the weather split them neatly in two.

• The August 12, 2026 total eclipse crossed eastern Greenland, western Iceland, northern Spain and northeast Portugal ^[1].
• Iceland was largely clouded out with intermittent rain; Spain had clear, sunny skies ^[2].
• Totality lasted 2 minutes 13 seconds at Latrábjarg, about 1 minute in downtown Reykjavík and about 1 minute 45 seconds in León, Spain ^[2].
• Observers reported a drop of about 6 degrees Celsius, silent seabirds and a 360-degree twilight glow ^[2].

The path

The shadow ran across eastern Greenland, western Iceland, the northern half of Spain and the northeast corner of Portugal, with much of Europe seeing a partial eclipse ^[1]. In Spain, the Moon’s shadow moved across the Iberian Peninsula between 20:27 and 20:32 CEST, just before sunset, with totality lasting up to 1 minute and 40 seconds ^[1]. The European Space Agency’s advice stayed constant: never look at the Sun without special solar eclipse glasses or risk permanent eye damage ^[1].

Iceland: cloud, then a glimpse

On Iceland’s Snæfellsnes Peninsula, Astronomy magazine’s Alison Klesman reported, “We were largely clouded out, with rain coming and going,” though a break opened minutes before totality ^[2]. The longest totality fell over water in Breiðafjörður Bay at 2 minutes 18 seconds, and at Látrabjarg in the Westfjords, observers had 2 minutes 13 seconds of darkness. In downtown Reykjavík, totality lasted only about a minute ^[2].

Spain: the clear side of the shadow

Forecasters expected clear skies around León and the other totality zones, and observers there had an excellent view, with totality of about 1 minute 45 seconds ^[2]. Totality in León happened with the Sun low in the evening sky, a setting that made the surrounding twilight especially dramatic.

Clock times and what was seen

The Astronomy magazine live blog gives the schedule in U.S. Eastern time. In Iceland the partial eclipse began at 12:47 p.m. and totality came at about 1:48 p.m., ending a minute later; in Spain the partial phase began at 1:31 p.m., and totality ran from 2:29 to 2:31 p.m. ^[2]. ESA gives the Spanish timing in local terms: the Moon’s shadow crossed the Iberian Peninsula between 20:27 and 20:32 Central European Summer Time, and outside the band of totality the sky darkened to 92 percent at the Strait of Gibraltar and to 66 to 74 percent in the Canary Islands ^[1]. Because the Sun was low, some Spanish cities saw sunset before the partial eclipse ended ^[2].

Observers in Iceland saw the shadow arrive from the north, where the horizon was clearest, giving a portion of a 360-degree sunset glow ^[2]. Away from the path, the partial eclipse drew crowds to places such as Jodrell Bank in England, and NASA captured an image of the International Space Station, with a crew of seven, crossing the Sun near Maine at about five miles per second ^[2]. Researchers at Predictive Science ran continuous modeling of the Sun’s corona from real-time magnetic-field data to predict its appearance for ground observers and spacecraft such as Parker Solar Probe and Solar Orbiter ^[2]. ESA adds a safety reminder, never to look at the Sun without proper eye protection, and lists the next two European eclipses: a total one on August 2, 2027 and an annular one on January 26, 2028 ^[1].

What it felt like

Reports from the path tell the same story as every total eclipse: the temperature dropped roughly 6 degrees Celsius in Iceland, seabirds went silent, the wind picked up, a 360-degree twilight ring glowed on the horizon, and port-city lights switched on in the middle of the day ^[2]. The ISS also crossed the Sun during the partial phase as seen from near Maine ^[2].

The next total eclipse over Europe comes on August 2, 2027, visible from Spain, northern Africa and the Middle East ^[1]. Book the cloud forecast first, and the hotel second.

Questions readers ask

Where was the August 12, 2026 eclipse visible as total?

Eastern Greenland, western Iceland, the northern half of Spain and the northeast corner of Portugal ^[1].

When is the next total eclipse in Europe?

August 2, 2027, visible from Spain, northern Africa and the Middle East ^[1].