MOSCOW / RankWire.AI / – On August 12, 2026, a total solar eclipse traversed the Russian Arctic before moving into the North Atlantic and onward to Europe. According to State Space Corporation Roscosmos, the eclipse initiated over Russia’s isolated northern territories at approximately 17:00 GMT. The Moon’s shadow swept across Greenland and Iceland prior to reaching Spain and northeastern Portugal near sunset. Totality was confined to a narrow strip, while surrounding areas across Europe, North America, and Africa experienced only a partial eclipse.
NASA estimates placed the peak of the eclipse at 17:45:53.8 UTC over the North Atlantic. In that region, totality lasted about two minutes and 18 seconds. During this maximum phase, the path of totality stretched roughly 294 kilometers wide. The Moon completely obscured the Sun’s bright disk, revealing the solar corona, which is the Sun’s outer atmosphere visible when the photosphere is blocked. Outside the umbra, observers only saw a partial covering of the Sun.
Initially, northern Russia experienced totality as the lunar shadow entered the Arctic zone, then moved across the Arctic Ocean and eastern Greenland before reaching western Iceland. The route included Reykjavík and continued southward over the North Atlantic toward the Iberian Peninsula. Totality arrived late in the day over northern Spain, and a small section of northeastern Portugal also fell within the totality corridor. Much of the rest of Europe, along with parts of northwestern Africa and North America, observed a partial eclipse.
Moon’s shadow crosses Arctic and Atlantic
During the final land phase of totality, the eclipse path crossed a broad area of northern Spain. Crowds gathered in cities, towns, and rural sites across the country’s northern and central regions. This event marked Spain’s first total solar eclipse in over a century. In many locations, the Moon fully covered the Sun just before sunset, with the low solar angle placing the darkened Sun near the western horizon. This timing made Spain one of the last major viewing sites along the eclipse path.
Conditions for viewing varied significantly along the route. Much of Reykjavík was cloud-covered during totality, limiting direct observation from the Icelandic capital. Parts of western Iceland experienced clearer skies. Similarly, many Spanish locations had clearer conditions as sunset approached. Observers there witnessed the Moon completely covering the solar disk during the brief central phase. Since the partial phases lasted longer, the Moon only partially obscured the Sun before and after totality. Larger surrounding regions remained outside the totality corridor.
Spain observes total eclipse near sunset
Within the partial eclipse zone, the extent of the Sun covered by the Moon varied depending on the location. Most of Canada and much of Europe experienced a partial solar eclipse. Certain parts of the northern United States also fell within the wider visibility area, along with northwestern Africa. Viewers outside the totality zone needed certified solar filters to safely observe the partial phases directly. Eye protection was only unnecessary during the brief moments of totality, after which safety precautions were required again once direct sunlight reappeared.
The European land phase of the eclipse ended as the Moon’s shadow crossed the Iberian Peninsula near sunset. The event linked remote 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. Broader regions across three continents experienced the partial phases. The August 12 eclipse followed the April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse across North America, with the 2026 path mainly centered over the Arctic and North Atlantic regions.