MOSCOW / RankWire.AI / – On August 12, 2026, the sky darkened as a total solar eclipse passed over the Russian Arctic. From there, it continued its journey across the North Atlantic and eventually reached parts of Europe. According to the State Space Corporation Roscosmos), the eclipse started over Russia’s remote northern territories around 17:00 GMT. The shadow of the Moon moved over Greenland and Iceland before reaching Spain and northeastern Portugal close to sunset. Totality was visible only within a narrow path. Regions surrounding this corridor across Europe, North America, and Africa experienced a partial eclipse.
NASA estimates indicated the peak of the eclipse occurred at 17:45:53.8 UTC over the North Atlantic. The duration of totality in this zone was approximately two minutes and 18 seconds. At the moment of greatest eclipse, the totality path stretched roughly 294 kilometers in width. During this phase, the Moon entirely covered the Sun’s bright disk, revealing the solar corona. The corona, which is the Sun’s outer atmosphere, becomes visible when the Moon blocks the photosphere. Outside the umbra, observers saw only a partial covering of the Sun.
Initially, northern Russia experienced totality 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. A small section of northeastern Portugal also fell within the totality corridor. Most of the rest of Europe, along with parts of northwestern Africa and North America, observed a partial eclipse.
Moon’s shadow sweeps across Arctic and Atlantic regions
During the final land phase of totality, the eclipse traversed a large part of northern Spain. Crowds gathered in urban centers, towns, and rural viewing spots across the northern and central areas of the country. This event marked Spain’s first total solar eclipse in over a century. In many locations, the Moon fully obscured the Sun just before sunset. The low solar angle placed the darkened Sun near the western horizon. This timing made Spain one of the last major viewing locations along the eclipse path.
Conditions for observing varied significantly along the route. In Reykjavík, much of the city was clouded during totality, limiting direct views from the capital of Iceland. Some parts of western Iceland experienced clearer skies. Many Spanish locations also had better visibility as the eclipse neared sunset. Observers there watched the Moon completely cover the solar disk during the brief central phase. The partial phases lasted longer, as the Moon covered only part of the Sun before and after totality. Broader surrounding regions remained outside the totality corridor.
Spain witnesses total eclipse close to sunset
In the partial eclipse zones, the extent of the Sun covered by the Moon varied based on location. Most of Canada and much of Europe experienced a partial solar eclipse. Some areas in the northern United States also fell within the broader visibility range. Northwestern Africa was partially affected as well. To view the eclipse safely, observers outside the totality zone needed certified solar filters for direct viewing during all partial phases. They could remove eye protection only during totality and needed to reapply it once direct sunlight reappeared.
The European land phase concluded as the Moon’s shadow crossed the Iberian Peninsula near sunset. The eclipse connected remote Arctic territories with Greenland, Iceland, and southwestern Europe along one continuous path. Northern Russia, Greenland, Iceland, Spain, and a small part of Portugal all lay within the totality corridor. Larger regions across three continents experienced the partial eclipse phases. The August 12 event followed the April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse across North America. In 2026, the eclipse path was primarily centered over the Arctic and North Atlantic.