A total solar eclipse swept across the Northern Hemisphere on Wednesday, August 12, plunging parts of Greenland, Iceland, and northern Spain into brief darkness and marking mainland Europe's first total solar eclipse since 1999 — and Spain's first in more than a century, since 1905.
The Path of Totality
The eclipse's path of totality began in extreme northern Russia before sweeping across Greenland, Iceland, and the North Atlantic, ultimately reaching northern Spain and a small corner of Portugal just before sunset local time. Totality lasted less than two and a half minutes, reaching its maximum duration of two minutes and 18 seconds off Iceland's west coast. Roughly 15 million people lived within the path of totality itself, while hundreds of millions more across Europe, parts of North America, and northwestern Africa were treated to at least a partial eclipse.
Spain's Historic Moment
Spain delivered some of the most dramatic viewing of the entire event. With totality arriving around sunset local time, the sun was already sitting low on the western horizon, giving photographers the rare opportunity to capture the darkened sun against the landscape rather than high overhead — a distinctive visual signature of this particular eclipse. An estimated 450,000 tourists traveled to Spain for the event, with crowds across a wide band of northern and central Spain rushing to buy specialized eclipse glasses in the lead-up. Spanish authorities also issued wildfire warnings as visitors flocked to rural viewing areas during the country's hot, dry summer.
A Rare Sight in the Arctic
In far northern Greenland, the eclipse brought an especially striking contrast: a brief spell of true darkness in places that had been experiencing near-continuous daylight throughout the Arctic summer. Passengers aboard polar expedition cruises in the region, some of whom had spent 17 days experiencing 24-hour daylight north of the Arctic Circle, described the sudden two-minute darkness as startling. NASA also supported a high-altitude research mission during the eclipse, flying a WB-57 Canberra aircraft above the clouds near Keflavik, Iceland, to study the sun and changes in Earth's atmosphere during totality.
What the Rest of Europe Saw
Beyond the narrow path of totality, most of Europe experienced a significant partial eclipse. London reached its maximum coverage of 91% at 2:13 p.m. ET, while cities across Germany, France, and the wider continent saw the moon take a substantial bite out of the sun. In Berlin, crowds gathered along the Spree river to watch the partial eclipse behind the city's landmark "Molecule Men" sculpture. Parts of Canada and more than 20 northern US states also caught a glimpse of a partial eclipse, with Toronto reaching its maximum at 1:40 p.m. and New York City at 1:54 p.m. local time.
Safety Reminders During the Spectacle
Throughout the event, observers were reminded that certified eclipse glasses or other proper solar filters were required at all times except during the brief window of full totality, when it was safe to look directly at the darkened sun without protection. Crowds across the path of totality gathered with lawn chairs, umbrellas, and hats, cheering and celebrating as the moon fully covered the sun and turned day briefly into night.
What Comes Next
This was the only total solar eclipse of 2026, and the next one won't arrive until August 2, 2027, when the path of totality will cross southern Spain, North Africa — including Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt — Saudi Arabia, and Yemen. For the UK, however, the wait is much longer: the next total solar eclipse visible from Britain won't occur until 2090. For continuing eclipse coverage and photos, see National Geographic's photo coverage.
For the millions who traveled or simply stepped outside to watch, Wednesday's eclipse offered a rare, fleeting reminder of just how dramatically the ordinary rhythm of daylight can be interrupted — and why so many are already planning ahead for the next one.