Solar Eclipse, Six-planet Arc, and Perseids Mark August 12 Sky Show

A total solar eclipse will darken skies on August 12 across mainland Spain, Portugal, Greenland, and Iceland, with maximum totality occurring off Iceland's west coast. The eclipse, the first to hit mainland Spain in over 100 years, will last up to two minutes and 18 seconds, with the umbra racing 5,130 miles (8,260 kilometers) in 1.5 hours before ending in the Mediterranean. A partial eclipse will be visible as far as Alaska, Siberia, Canada, the northern U.S., Europe, and West Africa, with 94% coverage in Dublin and 83% in Oslo, Norway, tapering to 18% in Montreal, 9% in New York, and 2% in Norfolk, Virginia.

The day also features a six-planet arc before dawn and the Perseid meteor shower peaking at night. Eclipse mapmaker Michael Zeiler will chase the northern lights from a cruise ship in a Greenland fjord during his 13th total solar eclipse. The European Space Agency will host a live webcast from Spain's Astrophysical Observatory of Javalambre and a public celebration in Leon, with NASA and the Virtual Telescope Project also providing coverage. ESA's science director Carole Mundell called it a very human moment, while two ESA space telescopes will observe the corona.

Solar Eclipse, Six-planet Arc, and Perseids Mark August 12 Sky Show

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