2026 Total Solar Eclipse: Where to Watch and How to View It Safely

The total solar eclipse on Aug. 12, 2026 will travel across sections of the Northern Hemisphere, giving millions of people the opportunity to experience one of nature’s most extraordinary celestial events.

The path of totality — the area where the moon completely blocks the sun — will begin above the Arctic Ocean before moving across eastern Greenland, western Iceland and northern Spain. It will then cross the Balearic Islands before coming to an end above the Mediterranean Sea.

Only observers located within this comparatively narrow path, which measures just 182 miles (293 kilometers) across, will experience totality, when daylight temporarily transforms into twilight. During this brief phase, viewers will be able to see the sun’s outer atmosphere, called the corona, with the naked eye as the moon fully conceals the sun.

A considerably wider area around the path of totality will experience a striking partial solar eclipse instead. Large parts of Europe, including the U.K., Ireland, France, Germany, Italy and Scandinavia, will see the moon appear to take a “bite” from the sun.

Northern Spain is expected to attract many eclipse chasers because of its relatively easy accessibility and the low position of the evening sun on the day of the eclipse, potentially producing dramatic scenery as totality occurs near sunset. Greenland and Iceland will provide distinctly different viewing experiences, with totality occurring higher overhead against their remarkable Arctic surroundings.

How to Watch

Regardless of where you intend to observe the eclipse, remember that looking directly at the sun without appropriate eye protection is never safe. Certified solar eclipse glasses or properly installed solar filters for telescopes, binoculars and cameras are required throughout the partial phases. Only during the short period of totality, when the moon completely covers the sun, is it safe to take off eclipse glasses and view the eclipse directly.