India Will Not Witness the Event, While Experts Urge Safe Viewing Practices

Skywatchers across parts of Europe, North America and the Arctic are preparing for one of the year's most anticipated astronomical events as a rare total solar eclipse races across the Northern Hemisphere on 12 August 2026. The eclipse will first become visible over a remote region of northern Russia before the Moon's shadow travels across the Arctic. The path of totality will then extend across Greenland and Iceland, where the eclipse will reach its point of maximum duration just off Iceland's western coast, before continuing towards the Iberian Peninsula. Northern Spain and a small part of Portugal will experience totality shortly before sunset, providing observers with one of the most striking views of the event.

In Spain, the shadow is expected to travel roughly from the northern city of Oviedo to the island of Mallorca. Scientists have noted that the eclipse's path will pass over regions recently devastated by wildfires, events they say have become more likely because of human-driven climate change.