Are You Ready for the Next Total Solar Eclipse? Once the April 2024 eclipse passed in North America, eclipse chasers turned their attention to planning for the next one, which will take place on August 12, 2026.
It will be the first total solar eclipse visible from Europe since 2015 and the first in mainland Europe since 1999. However, only five countries will experience totality – when the moon’s shadow completely blocks the sun’s face – on August 12, 2026. That day, the sun will rise completely eclipsed in a remote part of Siberia in Russia before the moon’s shadow sweeps across eastern Greenland, western Iceland and northern Spain, cutting off a small portion of northeastern Portugal.
Related: 16 Best Places to See the 2026 Total Solar Eclipse
The weather along the path of totality will be helped by the time of year, with August being the best month for clear skies in the region, although finding clear skies will still be a challenge. Perhaps the most confusing aspect of this eclipse, however, will be the altitude, at least for observers in Spain. You will need to calculate sight lines in advance, which was not necessary for the total eclipse in North America.
The price is the same though: a totally overshadowed Sunfor up to 2 minutes and 18 seconds. Here are 10 top tips for planning your 2026 total solar eclipse.
1. Forget about duration
Never judge a total solar eclipse by the maximum duration of totality. Although totality is April 8, 2024, Total Solar Eclipse lasted more than four minutes for some viewers; most total solar eclipses last two minutes or less. Moreover, the duration of totality is trivial. What’s spectacular is that totality happens at all—and how dramatic it is. Instead, think about where you’re viewing it on the path of totality, because location does matter.
2. Concentrate on the position in the sky.
At no point on Earth will the eclipsed Sun appear higher than 26 degrees above the horizon during the August 2026 eclipse. In Greenland and Iceland it won’t be a big problem, but in Spain the Sun will only be eclipsed for 70 minutes before sunset on the Galician coast of Spain, where the Sun will be just 11 degrees above the northwestern horizon.
It will be lower in the sky and closer to sunset as the path of totality shifts eastward. The eclipsed Sun will be barely 3 degrees above the northwestern horizon as seen from the west coast of one of the Balearic Islands (Mallorca, Minorca and Ibiza). That could cause the Sun to disappear into the haze and clouds of the horizon. Or it could produce a rare, dramatic “golden corona.” As with all eclipses, you need to weigh the risks and rewards.
3. Note the sight lines on the Spanish coast
The sun will be eclipsed from the east coast of Spain just 4 degrees above the north-west horizon. It is possible to find coastal locations with a clear view of the eclipse, but don’t take anything for granted. In many coastal locations, the trick will be to head inland and reach higher ground. Either way, triple-check the sightlines from all locations.
4. Consider landscape photography.
The 2026 solar eclipse offers a brief window of opportunity to capture the eclipsed sun, balanced with the chance to see and capture the sun’s corona low above landmarks, mountains, and buildings. Expect images of the eclipsed sun over icebergs in Greenland; over the Sun Voyager sculpture in Reykjavik, Iceland; and through the arches of the Roman aqueduct bridge in Segovia, Spain. Many photography workshops travel to Spain to capture the eclipsed sun close to the horizon. You can also check out our guides on how to photograph a solar eclipse And how to photograph a total solar eclipse with a smartphone.
5. Think about clouds
As eclipse meteorologist Jay Anderson notes on his website Eclipsophile.comValladolid and Zaragoza, Spain, and the Mediterranean coast have the best chance of clear skies. That said, there are good reasons to be optimistic about clear skies in Iceland and Greenland, with Scoresby Sund often seeing sunny weather in August. If the 2024 total solar eclipse has taught eclipse chasers anything, it’s to expect the unexpected.
6. Stay mobile
It can be difficult to find accommodation in advance in rural areas of Spain. Also, there is no need to wake up in the path of totality for this one, as it occurs just before sunset. You have the whole day to travel somewhere with clear skies.
7. Don’t obsess about the center line
You don’t have to aim for the midline for this eclipse. Yes, it will maximize the duration of totality. However, not only is the maximum duration fairly short, but there are diminishing returns the closer you get to the midline. That’s because the Moon‘s shadow is oval-shaped, so the total duration decreases gradually on either side of the centerline. For example, Burgos, which is close to the centerline, gets 1 minute and 44 seconds, while Valladolid, which is halfway between the centerline and the southern border, gets 1 minute and 29 seconds.
8. Get ready for a “Pac-Man” sunset.
The E80 highway that connects Valladolid to Burgos crosses the center line at the most likely spot for clear skies for the entire path of totality. It also represents the dividing line for a partially eclipsed sunset. From all locations west of here, the sun will no longer be eclipsed as it sets. To the east, it will drop below the horizon while still being partially eclipsed. Locations further east — such as Calamocha, Teruel, and Zaragoza — will be good locations to view an eclipsed sunset.
9. Be aware of shooting stars and the Milky Way.
It is a coincidence that August 12 is also the highlight of the Perseid meteor shower in 2026. So in theory, a trip to Spain could give you a total solar eclipse, followed by a night sky full of “shooting stars” in a completely moonless sky (because a solar eclipse by definition occurs during a new Moon). It is also the peak time for a look at the Milky Way streaming across the southern sky. The Perseid peak will also occur in Greenland and Iceland, but there will be no darkness there. In Reykjavik, Iceland, the sun will set around 9:50 p.m. on August 12 and rise around 5 a.m., but it will never be completely dark.
10. Go north for possible northern lights
There is much talk about whether it would be possible to see the Northern Lights, the northern Lights — during the eclipse as seen from Iceland and Greenland. However, it is highly unlikely — the aurora is fleeting and unpredictable in terms of timing and intensity, and during totality the sky does not darken beyond a bright twilight. There will be a chance during the nights around the eclipse, but true darkness never comes in August; from midnight onwards there are about three hours of nautical twilight when it is dark enough to sometimes see the aurora.