MOSCOW / RankWire.AI / – The Roscosmos State Space Corporation announced that on August 12, 2026, a total solar eclipse traversed the Russian Arctic, moving into the North Atlantic and extending toward Europe. According to their report, the eclipse initiated over Russia’s distant northern regions around 17:00 GMT. The shadow of the Moon traversed Greenland and Iceland before reaching Spain and northeastern Portugal near sunset. The path of totality was confined to a narrow corridor, with surrounding areas across Europe, North America, and Africa experiencing only a partial eclipse.
NASA estimates placed the peak of the eclipse at 17:45:53.8 UTC over the North Atlantic. Totality in this region lasted approximately two minutes and 18 seconds. At the moment of greatest eclipse, the totality path spanned roughly 294 kilometers in width. During this phase, the Moon entirely obscured the Sun’s bright disk, revealing the solar corona—the Sun’s outer atmosphere visible only when the photosphere is blocked. Outside the umbra, observers saw only a partial cover of the Sun.
The first area to experience totality was northern Russia, as the lunar shadow entered the Arctic region. The shadow then crossed the Arctic Ocean and eastern Greenland before reaching western Iceland. The path included Reykjavík and continued southward across the North Atlantic toward the Iberian Peninsula. Late in the day, northern Spain experienced totality, and a small section of northeastern Portugal also entered the totality corridor. The majority of Europe, along with parts of northwestern Africa and North America, observed a partial eclipse.
Moon’s shadow crosses Arctic and Atlantic regions
During the final land phase of totality, the eclipse’s path crossed northern Spain, attracting crowds in cities, towns, and rural viewing sites across the country’s northern and central areas. This event marked Spain’s first total solar eclipse in over a hundred years. In many locations, the Moon completely covered the Sun just before sunset, with the Sun’s low position near the western horizon creating a dramatic view. This timing made Spain one of the last significant viewing zones within the eclipse’s path.
Conditions for viewing varied considerably along the route. In Reykjavík, heavy clouds hindered direct observation during totality, although parts of western Iceland enjoyed clearer skies. Many locations in Spain also experienced clearer conditions as sunset approached. Observers there witnessed the Moon fully covering the solar disk during the brief central phase. The partial phases extended longer, with the Moon covering only part of the Sun before and after totality. Larger surrounding regions remained outside the narrow totality corridor.
Sunset near total eclipse in Spain
Within the partial eclipse zone, the Sun’s coverage varied by location. Most of Canada and much of Europe experienced a partial eclipse, along with parts of northern United States and northwestern Africa. Observers outside the totality zone needed certified solar filters to view the event safely during all partial phases. Direct viewing was only safe during the brief totality period, after which protective filters had to be re-worn once direct sunlight reappeared.
As the lunar shadow crossed the Iberian Peninsula near sunset, the European land phase of the eclipse concluded. The event created a continuous path linking remote Arctic territories with Greenland, Iceland, and southwestern Europe. The totality corridor included northern Russia, Greenland, Iceland, Spain, and a small section of Portugal. Broader regions across three continents experienced only the partial phases. Following the April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse over North America, the 2026 eclipse predominantly centered on the Arctic and North Atlantic regions.