MOSCOW / RankWire.AI / – On August 12, 2026, a total solar eclipse traversed the Russian Arctic before moving across the North Atlantic and onward into Europe. According to State Space Corporation Roscosmos, the eclipse initiated over Russia’s remote northern territories around 17:00 GMT. The Moon’s shadow then crossed Greenland and Iceland, reaching Spain and northeastern Portugal near sunset. Totality occurred solely within a narrow corridor, while surrounding regions across Europe, North America, and Africa experienced a partial solar eclipse.
NASA estimates placed the peak of the eclipse at 17:45:53.8 UTC over the North Atlantic. During this time, totality lasted approximately two minutes and 18 seconds. At the moment of greatest eclipse, the path of totality measured about 294 kilometers wide. When in totality, the Moon entirely covered the Sun’s bright disk, revealing the solar corona—the Sun’s outer atmosphere visible only when the photosphere is obscured. Outside the umbra, viewers saw only a partial covering of the Sun.
The first region to experience totality was northern Russia as the lunar shadow entered the Arctic zone. The shadow then crossed the Arctic Ocean and eastern Greenland before reaching western Iceland. The path included Reykjavík and continued southward across the North Atlantic toward the Iberian Peninsula, with totality arriving late in northern Spain. A small part of northeastern Portugal also entered the totality corridor. Most of Europe, along with northwestern Africa and some parts of North America, observed only a partial eclipse.
Moon’s shadow crosses Arctic and Atlantic
During the final land phase of totality, the eclipse’s path crossed northern Spain, where crowds gathered in cities, towns, and rural viewing sites across the northern and central regions. This event marked Spain’s first total solar eclipse in over a century. In many locations, the Moon fully obscured the Sun just before sunset, with the low solar angle placing the darkened Sun near the western horizon. This timing made Spain one of the last significant viewing areas along the eclipse path.
Viewing conditions varied sharply along the route; much of Reykjavík was clouded during totality, limiting direct views from the Icelandic capital, although some parts of western Iceland experienced clearer skies. Many Spanish locations also enjoyed clearer conditions as sunset approached, allowing viewers to observe the Moon completely covering the solar disk during the brief central phase. Partial phases lasted longer because the Moon only partially covered the Sun before and after totality. Broader surrounding regions remained outside the totality corridor.
Spain witnesses eclipse near sunset
In the partial eclipse zones, the degree of Sun obscuration varied by location. Most of Canada and much of Europe experienced a partial solar eclipse, with parts of northern United States also falling within the wider visibility zone. Northwestern Africa saw a partial eclipse as well. Observers outside the totality path needed certified solar filters for direct viewing during all partial phases, removing eye protection only during totality and reapplying it immediately afterward to safeguard their vision.
The European land phase ended as the Moon’s shadow crossed the Iberian Peninsula near sunset, linking remote Arctic regions with Greenland, Iceland, and southwestern Europe in a continuous path. The totality corridor included northern Russia, Greenland, Iceland, Spain, and a small part of Portugal. Larger areas across three continents experienced only partial phases. Following the April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse across North America, the 2026 event’s path mainly centered over the Arctic and North Atlantic.