Total solar eclipse crosses parts of Europe tonight

scienceAug 12, 20261122,425

The Moon will pass directly between Earth and the Sun on Wednesday 12 August, producing a total solar eclipse across a narrow track that crosses a wide band of north and central Spain, a sliver of Portugal and parts of Greenland and Iceland. Much of western Europe including the UK, France, Belgium, Switzerland and northern Italy will see a deep partial eclipse as the Sun sets. In Spain the total eclipse will peak between 20:26 and 20:33 local time depending on location. The Royal Observatory Greenwich calculates the partial eclipse in London will begin at 18:17 BST, reach its maximum at 19:13 BST and end at 20:06 BST. The UK will see about 96 percent coverage in Cornwall, about 93 percent in the west of Scotland and about 92 percent in London, making this the deepest UK eclipse since the 1999 totality and the next UK totality is not expected until 2090. Experts including Dr Megan Argo and Dr Carys Herbert stress viewers must not look at the Sun with the naked eye or with ordinary sunglasses and recommend using special eclipse glasses to avoid permanent eye damage.

Paul Byrne

@theplanetaryguy.com

Remarkable photo from Reddit user u/karantza of the solar eclipse today in Mallorca. Ethereal.

A fleeting ring of fire, seen through cirrus clouds.

43744d ago

Paul Byrne11

Original link on Reddit: www.reddit.com/r/astrophoto... Per OP, the image was taken on a Canon R10 with an AT65EDQ lens at prime focus (420 mm × 65 mm). The photo is 1/25 s with an ISO of 1,600. Credit: u/karantza/Alex

ASTRONAUTICAL1

Ooh, nice! This is my favorite one:

National Weather Service

@nws.noaa.gov

Those in the U.S. may only see a sliver of today's solar eclipse, but GOES-EAST gets a great view of the shadow as it crosses into Europe! 🌑

36044d ago

🌱 Emma Marsh

@emmamarsh5.bsky.social

Hundreds of solar eclipse images projected onto my old Copper Beech. Noticed it by chance as I was trying to get my naff pinhole cardboard setup to work. Unexpected and magical 💚 🌱

28844d ago

Knitted Pies, Collies and Coffee Shops7

I had these semicircles appear on the wall in my lounge underneath where I was doing the colander thing. I guess that's lots of little eclipses.

Fatima O'Hara3

My conservatory blinds doing similar

Quoting this

Craig Kaplan7

This is my favorite eclipse effect that you can still get with the partial. And especially cool when you don’t know about it in advance

Antony Carpen2

This one is lovely too bsky.app/profile/emma...

Andy3E

@andy3e.bsky.social

First time seeing/capturing a total solar eclipse, nothing will prepare you for that moment of totality, absolutely recommend going to see one if you ever have the opportunity!

The 2026 Total Solar Eclipse with a small flare emanating from the lower right of the sun

10444d ago

jj4

Fabulous! Here's one from Son Bou, Menorca that a friend took

Steve Lacey1

Oh! Where were you for the total? We had about 90% here in Belgium.

Ste Johnson1

How amazing! Glad you got to experience it!

Quoting this

Cartoon Beardy7

Remember folks. If there’s a once in a lifetime solar event bring the right kit and be in the right place. Wow!

James3

Can confirm. It should be on everyone's bucket list.

Drew Starr2

Tru5h. Seeing totality was more awesome than the Grand Canyon or shuttle lift off were for me (and those made me cry). It you've been in 99% totality you have no idea what totality is actually like. You can't go 99% of the way to Disney World and get a pretty good idea of the place from the trip.

Philip

@blumphy.bsky.social

Total eclipse - Praya de Palma Genuinely got quite emotional and I had zero interest in it

8944d ago

voodoojazzhat.bsky.social1

That looks great! Just got slightly darker for 10 minutes here.

Gef the Toking Mongoose

@geftokingmongoose.bsky.social

A solar eclipse would be a great time for a god level Eldritch horror to break through into our reality and wipe this cold and cruel reality away. But it won't, it never does.

5144d ago

Sit Down Comedian1

I ordered an elder God apocalypse, but all I got was this stupid solar eclipse.

Dr Neutopia

@oceanclub.bsky.social

So got to see my first total eclipse and it was pretty awe-inspiring. I can now see why people chase them. There's only one more in this part of the world (Tangier 2027) for the foreseeable future, so I hope to make that one too.

Full solar eclipse over Segovia cathedral.

4944d ago

cosmos4u.bsky.social

@cosmos4u.bsky.social

Sneak peak at the outstandingly beautiful Total #SolarEclipse over Sahagún, Spain, 1/2 hour ago: see www.facebook.com/dan.fischer.... for 33 quickly processed timesteps.

4244d ago

Quoting this

Maik Meyer ☄️6

I saw the protuberance by eye!

Rian Gonzales 🌈

@rianbowart.com

My first solar eclipse! 😎☀️ Trying to be safe so no actual photo of the sun but here's a very dapper Grandpa Ace sporting his glasses! 😎💅

5544d ago

nancyforde.com

@nancyfjorde.bsky.social

Dappled light of solar eclipse through trees... just gorgeous. #SolarEclipse2026

4844d ago

Photos by Noora

@np-photos.bsky.social

My husband bought a pack of ten pairs of solar eclipse glasses online last week. He made many people happy on the hill where we went to watch it. Not a total eclipse here in Sweden, but good enough for me.

A grainy and slightly blurry photo of the sun mostly eclipsed by the moon. The whole photo is tinted brown because it's taken through a solar eclipse filter.

3844d ago

Photos by Noora5

I actually enjoy seeing everyone's eclipse photos, total or not, crappy (like mine) or beautiful. So many people enjoying something together without bickering about it is so rare!

swan

@nightswan.be

Hey guys what do you think of my solar eclipse footage?

3044d ago

Paul Eric

@pauleric70.bsky.social

How neat is this....During a solar eclipse, the gaps between leaves on trees act as multiple pinhole cameras, and each gap projects its own crescent-shaped image of the eclipsed sun onto the ground.😎

2644d ago