The only total solar eclipse of 2026 swept across the Northern Hemisphere on Wednesday, August 12, plunging parts of Greenland, Iceland, and northern Spain into darkness for up to 2 minutes and 18 seconds while delivering a partial eclipse visible from Alaska to the mid-Atlantic coast. The event marked the first time a total solar eclipse has been visible from mainland Europe since August 11, 1999, and produced what astronomers described as a rare “sunset eclipse” over Spain, where the sun sat low on the western horizon at the moment of totality. For tens of millions of Americans in the northern half of the country, the eclipse appeared as a modest lunar bite across the sun’s disk during the afternoon hours.
Key Takeaways
- The path of totality ran from northern Siberia through the Arctic Ocean, Greenland, Iceland, the North Atlantic, and into northern Spain and a sliver of northeastern Portugal.
- Partial eclipse coverage across the U.S. ranged from 37% in Fairbanks, Alaska, to 24% in Bangor, Maine, 16% in Boston, 9% in New York City, and 4% in Washington, D.C.
- Certified ISO 12312-2 eclipse glasses were required for the entire duration of the partial eclipse; there was no safe moment to view the sun without protection outside the path of totality.
- The eclipse coincided with a six-planet alignment visible before sunrise and the peak of the Perseid meteor shower overnight into August 13, creating an unusually active astronomical day.
- The next partial solar eclipse visible from the continental United States will not occur until January 2028; the next total solar eclipse crossing U.S. soil is expected in 2027.
Where Totality Reached and What It Looked Like
According to NASA’s eclipse tracking data, the path of totality began in a remote region of northern Siberia near the North Pole, where the moon’s shadow first made contact with Earth’s surface around midday local time. The shadow then tracked south through the Arctic Ocean, crossing western Iceland, including the capital city of Reykjavik, in the late afternoon before continuing across the North Atlantic. The path reached northern Spain in the late evening, where cities including León, Zaragoza, and Valencia experienced full totality, and Barcelona sat just outside the path at 99% coverage.
The eclipse occurred approximately 2.2 days after the moon reached perigee on August 10, meaning its apparent diameter was slightly larger than average. That produced an eclipse magnitude of 1.0386 and a maximum totality duration of 2 minutes and 18 seconds at the point of greatest eclipse over the North Atlantic. For most observers within the path, totality lasted under two minutes.
The geometry of the event created a distinctive visual phenomenon in Spain. Because the eclipse reached the Iberian Peninsula late in the evening local time, the sun was positioned low on the western horizon when it went dark, producing a “sunset eclipse” where golden-hour light framed the corona. Photographers and solar researchers had identified this as one of the most visually dramatic eclipse configurations in years, and several European space agencies deployed observation teams along the Spanish coast.
What Americans Saw From Coast to Coast
The continental United States sat entirely outside the path of totality, but a wide swath of the northern half of the country experienced a partial eclipse during the afternoon hours. NASA’s city-by-city data showed the coverage gradient clearly: Fairbanks, Alaska, received the highest coverage at 37% starting at 7:37 a.m. local time, while Bangor, Maine, saw 24% beginning around 12:54 p.m. EDT. Boston received 16% coverage, New York City approximately 9%, Philadelphia 7%, and Washington, D.C., just 4%.
In New York City, the partial eclipse began at 1:07 p.m. EDT, reached maximum coverage at 1:54 p.m., and ended at 2:38 p.m. At peak, the sun sat roughly 62 degrees above the horizon in the southern sky. The city’s forecast called for mostly sunny conditions, giving observers a clear sightline, though the 9% coverage meant the effect was too subtle to produce any noticeable change in ambient light or temperature at street level.
For cities in the upper Midwest and Pacific Northwest, the partial eclipse arrived earlier in the day. Detroit saw just 3% coverage around 1:36 p.m. EDT, while Anchorage, Alaska, observed 28% starting at 7:36 a.m. local time. The partial eclipse reached Canada’s eastern provinces in the afternoon, with Montreal recording 18% and Halifax 31%.
NASA broadcast the eclipse live starting at 1:15 p.m. EDT, featuring footage from observation teams deployed along the path of totality in Iceland and Spain, alongside expert commentary and feeds from ground-based and satellite cameras.
Eye Safety Requirements Applied Throughout the Entire U.S. Event
NASA and the American Astronomical Society emphasized throughout the lead-up that certified solar viewing glasses meeting the ISO 12312-2 international standard were required for the entire duration of the partial eclipse. Unlike a total eclipse, where observers within the path of totality have a brief window to view the sun without protection when the moon fully covers the solar disk, a partial eclipse offers no such safe interval. At no point during the event in any U.S. city was it safe to look directly at the sun without certified eclipse glasses or a handheld solar viewer.
Standard sunglasses, regardless of darkness or UV rating, do not provide adequate filtration. Eclipse-rated glasses are thousands of times darker than conventional eyewear and are engineered to block visible, ultraviolet, and infrared light simultaneously. Observers were also warned against using camera lenses, binoculars, or telescopes without front-mounted solar filters, as concentrated sunlight through optical equipment can cause instant and permanent retinal damage.
For those without glasses, NASA recommended indirect viewing through a pinhole projector, a simple device that casts an image of the partially eclipsed sun onto a nearby surface. Tree canopies serve the same function naturally, projecting crescent-shaped light patterns onto sidewalks and walls beneath them as the moon crosses the solar disk.
An Unusually Packed Astronomical Day Across the Country
The eclipse was only one of three celestial events concentrated on August 12. Before sunrise, a six-planet alignment placed Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune along the eastern horizon. Mars and Saturn were visible to the unaided eye from dark locations, while Uranus required binoculars and Neptune a telescope. The viewing window was narrow, roughly 15 to 20 minutes before dawn, and required a clear eastern horizon.
After dark, the Perseid meteor shower reached its annual peak on the night of August 12 into the early morning hours of August 13. The Perseids, produced by debris from comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle, are among the most prolific annual meteor showers, capable of producing upward of 100 meteors per hour under dark-sky conditions. This year’s peak coincided with a new moon, meaning there was no competing moonlight to wash out fainter meteors, a combination that astronomers identified as one of the strongest Perseid viewing opportunities in recent memory.
Urban observers across much of the U.S. faced the standard challenge of light pollution, which reduces visible meteor counts significantly. For viewers willing to travel, locations like the Adirondacks in New York, the Catskills, and state parks throughout New England and the upper Midwest offered some of the darkest accessible skies in the eastern half of the country.
The Eclipse Calendar Ahead for the United States
Wednesday’s partial eclipse was the only solar eclipse of any kind visible from the continental United States in 2026. The next opportunity is a partial solar eclipse in January 2028, though coverage will be minimal across most of the country, with New York City expected to see approximately 3% of the sun’s disk obscured.
The next total solar eclipse crossing U.S. territory is expected in 2027, when the path of totality will arc from Northern California through Nevada, Colorado, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi, and into Florida, offering a coast-to-coast viewing corridor similar to the 2017 event. For residents of the northeastern United States, the next total solar eclipse visible from their region will not occur until May 1, 2079.
The April 8, 2024, total eclipse, which crossed from Texas through the Midwest and into New England, remains the most recent total eclipse experienced on U.S. soil. That event drew what NASA described as the largest eclipse crowd in North American history, a benchmark that the 2027 event is expected to challenge given its path through major population centers in the South and Southeast.
FAQs
Could Americans see the total solar eclipse on August 12, 2026?
No. The path of totality crossed Greenland, Iceland, and northern Spain. The continental United States experienced only a partial eclipse, with coverage ranging from 37% in Fairbanks, Alaska, to as low as 3% in Detroit and 4% in Washington, D.C.
Was it safe to watch the partial eclipse without glasses?
No. Certified ISO 12312-2 eclipse glasses or a handheld solar viewer were required for the entire duration of the partial eclipse. Regular sunglasses do not provide adequate protection, and there was no moment during the partial event when it was safe to look at the sun unaided.
What other celestial events happened on August 12?
A six-planet alignment featuring Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune was visible before sunrise. The Perseid meteor shower also peaked overnight into August 13 under ideal new-moon conditions, with up to 100 or more meteors per hour possible under dark skies.
When is the next solar eclipse visible from the United States?
The next partial solar eclipse visible from the continental U.S. is expected in January 2028. The next total solar eclipse crossing U.S. territory is anticipated in 2027, with a path of totality running from Northern California through the South and into Florida.
