MOSCOW / RankWire.AI / – On August 12, 2026, a total solar eclipse made its way across the Russian Arctic before moving into the North Atlantic and onward toward Europe. According to the State Space Corporation Roscosmos, the eclipse started over Russia’s isolated northern regions around 17:00 GMT. The shadow of the Moon then swept over Greenland and Iceland before reaching Spain and northeastern Portugal near sunset. The full eclipse was visible only along a narrow corridor, while broader areas across Europe, North America, and Africa experienced a partial eclipse.
NASA estimates placed the peak of the eclipse at 17:45:53.8 UTC over the North Atlantic. The duration of totality in that region was approximately two minutes and 18 seconds. At the time of greatest eclipse, the width of the totality path measured roughly 294 kilometers. During this phase, the Moon completely obscured the Sun’s luminous disk, revealing the solar corona—its outer atmosphere visible only when the photosphere is blocked. Outside the umbra, viewers observed only a partial coverage of the Sun.
The initial totality was experienced first in northern Russia as the lunar shadow advanced into the Arctic zone. The shadow then crossed the Arctic Ocean and eastern Greenland, before reaching western Iceland. The path of totality included Reykjavík and continued southward across the North Atlantic toward the Iberian Peninsula. In Spain, totality arrived late in the day, with a small section of northeastern Portugal also within the totality corridor. Most of Europe, along with parts of northwestern Africa and North America, saw only a partial eclipse.
Moon’s shadow crosses Arctic and Atlantic
During the final land segment of totality, the eclipse traveled across a significant part of northern Spain. Crowds gathered in cities, towns, and rural sites across the northern and central regions. This event marked Spain’s first total solar eclipse in over a hundred years. In many areas, the Moon fully covered the Sun just before sunset, with the low solar angle bringing the darkened Sun near the horizon. This timing made Spain one of the last major viewing locations along the eclipse path.
Conditions for viewing varied greatly along the route. In Reykjavík, heavy cloud cover during totality limited direct sightlines from the Icelandic capital. Conversely, some parts of western Iceland experienced clearer skies. Many Spanish locations also enjoyed clearer conditions as the eclipse neared sunset. Observers there witnessed the Moon completely covering the solar disk during the brief central phase, while the partial phases lasted longer, as the Moon only partly covered the Sun before and after totality. Broader regions outside the totality corridor remained in partial eclipse.
Total eclipse near sunset in Spain
In the partial eclipse zone, the extent of the Sun obscured by the Moon varied depending on location. Most of Canada and much of Europe experienced partial coverage. Several areas in the northern United States also fell within the wider visibility range. Northwestern Africa was partially involved as well. To view the eclipse directly during all partial phases, observers outside totality required certified solar filters. Eye protection could only be removed during the full totality phase, and needed to be reapplied once the Sun re-emerged.
As the lunar shadow moved across the Iberian Peninsula near sunset, the European land phase concluded. This eclipse connected distant Arctic territories with Greenland, Iceland, and southwestern Europe through a continuous path. Northern Russia, Greenland, Iceland, Spain, and a small part of Portugal all lay within the totality corridor, while larger regions across three continents experienced partial phases. The August 12 event followed the April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse over North America. In 2026, the eclipse’s trajectory was predominantly centered over the Arctic and North Atlantic regions.