Total Solar Eclipse on 12 August 2026 to Cross Europe and Spain FAST-MOVING
A total solar eclipse will occur on 12 August 2026, with the Moon’s shadow sweeping across Greenland, Iceland, the North Atlantic and a narrow strip of northern Spain and Portugal. It will be the first total eclipse visible from mainland Europe since 1999, and the total phase will last about two minutes. Millions elsewhere in Europe, Africa, the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States will see a partial eclipse.
NASA plans to study the event using a WB‑57 high‑altitude aircraft and a fleet of scientific balloons launched from Spain, aiming to capture detailed observations of the solar corona and atmospheric effects. The German Aerospace Center (DLR) will conduct radar, GNSS and very‑low‑frequency (VLF) measurements to investigate ionospheric changes that affect satellite navigation and radio communications.
In Spain, the eclipse is the first total solar eclipse visible from the peninsula in more than a century. The Catalan government and the Institut d’Estudis Espacials de Catalunya have identified 23 official safe‑viewing sites in 18 municipalities, while local authorities in towns such as Épila, A Guarda, Tomiño and others are organising public events and free distribution of ISO 12312‑2 certified eclipse glasses. Safety recommendations stress the need for certified glasses, warning that ordinary sunglasses or improvised filters can cause permanent eye damage.
The eclipse will also be accompanied by other astronomical phenomena, including a meteor shower of the Perseids and a rare alignment of six planets visible in the early morning sky over Greece.
Entities: A Guarda · August 12 solar eclipse · European Space Agency · Fitero · Fitero (Navarra, Spain) · Fitero (Navarre, Spain) · Galicia (Spain) · Generalitat de Catalunya · German Aerospace Center (DLR) · Institut d’Estudis Espacials de Catalunya (IEEC) · Italy · León (province, Spain)
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 3 SOURCES] A partial eclipse will be visible across most of Europe, Africa, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States. (multiple articles)
- [● 6 SOURCES] Safe viewing requires ISO 12312‑2 certified eclipse glasses. (new)
- [● 3 SOURCES] It will be the first total solar eclipse visible from mainland Europe since 1999. (International overview)
- [● 2 SOURCES] NASA will study the eclipse using a WB‑57 high‑altitude aircraft and scientific balloons launched from Spain. (new)
- [● 2 SOURCES] Cities in the totality path include Reykjavík, A Coruña, Bilbao, Zaragoza, Valencia and Palma. (multiple articles)
- [● 4 SOURCES] The total phase will last about two minutes. (new)
- [● 10 SOURCES] A total solar eclipse will occur on 12 August 2026. (new)
- [● 5 SOURCES] The eclipse’s path of totality will cross Greenland, Iceland and northern Spain/Portugal. (multiple articles)
- [● 5 SOURCES] Catalonia will provide 23 official safe‑viewing sites in 18 municipalities for the eclipse. (new)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The Spanish maritime authority issued alerts for increased recreational boat traffic during the eclipse. (multiple articles)
- [● 7 SOURCES] The eclipse’s path of totality will cross Greenland, Iceland, northern Spain and Portugal. (new)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The German Aerospace Center (DLR) will use the eclipse to study ionospheric effects on GPS, Galileo and VLF signals. (article 8c759b01-1f3c-49f6-ba3c-3cce3d33a5c1)