MOSCOW / RankWire.AI / – On August 12, 2026, a total solar eclipse traversed the Russian Arctic before moving into the North Atlantic and onward into Europe. According to State Space Corporation Roscosmos, the eclipse commenced over Russia’s remote northern regions around 17:00 GMT. The shadow of the Moon then traveled across Greenland and Iceland, reaching Spain and northeastern Portugal near sunset. The zone of totality was confined to a narrow corridor, while surrounding regions across Europe, North America, and Africa encountered a partial eclipse.
NASA estimates identified the peak of the eclipse at 17:45:53.8 UTC over the North Atlantic, where totality lasted approximately two minutes and 18 seconds. During the eclipse’s maximum, the totality path spanned roughly 294 kilometers. The Moon fully obscured the Sun’s bright disk at this point, revealing the solar corona—the Sun’s outer atmosphere—visible only when the photosphere was blocked. Outside the umbra, observers saw only a partial covering of the Sun.
Initially, totality was observed in northern Russia as the lunar shadow entered the Arctic zone. It then crossed over the Arctic Ocean and eastern Greenland before reaching western Iceland. The path extended through Reykjavík and then continued southward across the North Atlantic toward the Iberian Peninsula. In late afternoon, northern Spain experienced totality, while a small sector of northeastern Portugal also lay within the eclipse’s totality corridor. Most of Europe, along with parts of northwestern Africa and North America, saw a partial eclipse.
Moon’s shadow moves across Arctic and Atlantic regions
During the final phase of totality over land, the eclipse pathway crossed northern Spain, where crowds gathered in cities, towns, and rural sites across the region’s north and center. This event marked Spain’s first total solar eclipse in over a hundred years. As the Sun was near sunset, the low solar angle placed the darkened Sun close to the western horizon, making Spain one of the last major viewing spots along the eclipse’s path.
Conditions for viewing varied significantly along the route. In Reykjavík, clouds obscured much of totality, limiting the view from the capital. Western Iceland experienced clearer conditions in some areas. Similarly, many locations in Spain enjoyed clearer skies as the eclipse approached sunset, allowing observers to witness the Moon fully covering the Sun during the brief central phase. Because the Moon only partially covered the Sun before and after totality, the partial phases lasted longer, with larger surrounding regions outside the narrow totality corridor.
Total eclipse visible near sunset in Spain
Across the partial eclipse zone, the extent of the Sun covered by the Moon varied with location. Most of Canada and extensive parts of Europe experienced a partial solar eclipse, as did some northern areas of the United States. Northwestern Africa also saw a partial view. During the partial phases, observers outside the totality zone needed certified solar filters to view directly. They could safely remove their eye protection only during the brief totality period, resuming use immediately afterward as sunlight returned.
The European land segment of the eclipse concluded as the Moon’s shadow crossed the Iberian Peninsula near sunset. The event connected remote Arctic territories with Greenland, Iceland, and southwestern Europe along a continuous path. Totality covered northern Russia, Greenland, Iceland, Spain, and a small part of Portugal, while larger parts of three continents experienced partial phases. This eclipse followed the April 8, 2024, total solar event across North America, with the 2026 eclipse path predominantly centered over the Arctic and North Atlantic regions.