MOSCOW / RankWire.AI / – A total solar eclipse unfolded across the Russian Arctic and parts of Europe on August 12, 2026, creating a dramatic celestial display. The event originated over Russia’s isolated northern regions around 17:00 GMT, according to State Space Corporation Roscosmos. The Moon’s shadow then traversed Greenland and Iceland before progressing southward toward Spain and northeastern Portugal near sunset. The full eclipse was visible only within a slender corridor, while adjacent areas across Europe, North America, and Africa experienced a partial eclipse.
NASA estimates pinpointed the peak of the eclipse at 17:45:53.8 UTC over the North Atlantic, where totality persisted for roughly two minutes and 18 seconds. The path of totality stretched approximately 294 kilometers across at its widest point. During this phase, the Moon completely concealed the Sun’s luminous disk, revealing the solar corona—the Sun’s outer atmosphere that becomes visible when the Moon blocks the photosphere. Outside this zone, observers saw only a partial covering of the Sun.
Totality first appeared in northern Russia as the lunar shadow entered the Arctic zone. It then crossed the Arctic Ocean and eastern Greenland before reaching western Iceland. The path included Reykjavík and extended southward across the North Atlantic toward the Iberian Peninsula. In the late afternoon, northern Spain experienced totality, while a small section of northeastern Portugal also entered the totality zone. Most of Europe, along with northwestern Africa and parts of North America, observed a partial eclipse.
Moon’s Shadow Traverses the Arctic and Atlantic
During the final land phase of totality, the eclipse crossed over northern Spain, drawing crowds to cities, towns, and rural viewing spots throughout the region. This event marked Spain’s first total solar eclipse in more than a century. In many locations, the Sun was fully covered by the Moon just before sunset, thanks to the low solar angle, which placed the darkened Sun near the western horizon. This timing made Spain one of the last major viewing points along the eclipse path.
Conditions for viewing varied greatly along the route. In Reykjavík, cloud cover during totality limited the direct view from the Icelandic capital, though parts of western Iceland enjoyed clearer skies. Many Spanish locations also experienced clearer conditions as the Sun approached sunset, allowing observers to witness the Moon completely obscure the solar disk during the brief central phase. The partial phases lasted longer, with the Moon covering only part of the Sun before and after totality. Larger surrounding regions remained outside the totality corridor.
Total Eclipse Near Sunset in Spain
In the partial eclipse zones, the extent of the Sun obscuration varied depending on the location. Most of Canada and much of Europe experienced a partial eclipse, as did parts of the northern United States and northwestern Africa. Observers outside the totality zone needed certified solar filters to view the Sun directly during all partial phases. Sun protection was only removed during the brief moments of totality and had to be reapplied once the Sun reappeared.
The European land phase ended as the Moon’s shadow crossed the Iberian Peninsula near sunset, linking remote Arctic regions with Greenland, Iceland, and southwestern Europe along a single continuous path. Totality was visible in northern Russia, Greenland, Iceland, Spain, and a small part of Portugal. Elsewhere across three continents, the partial eclipse was observable. This event followed the April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse across North America, with the 2026 path focusing primarily on the Arctic and North Atlantic regions.