Total Solar Eclipse to Grace European Skies on August 12

After the spectacular total solar eclipse witnessed primarily by North America in 2024, a select few lucky countries in Europe will have the chance to experience this celestial event on August 12. On this date, the Moon will align perfectly between the Earth and the Sun, casting its shadow across the planet.

The path of totality, approximately 290 kilometers wide, will stretch from northern Russia, across eastern Greenland, western Iceland, and finally Spain. While these locations will witness the Sun completely obscured, countries like Britain, France, and Portugal will only experience a partial eclipse. In Greece, only northern regions will see a small sliver of the Sun disappear just before sunset at 20:40 local time; the phenomenon will not be visible elsewhere in the country.

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the Moon will be exactly between the Earth and the Sun and will cast its shadow on the ground

Interactive maps detailing the eclipse's path are available on sites like timeanddate.com and from French astronomer Xavier Jubier. The phase of totality will last longest in eastern Greenland, where the Moon will completely hide the Sun for 2 minutes and 17 seconds at 16:36 local time. Reykjavik, Iceland's capital, will experience 58 seconds of totality, with a partial eclipse visible just 32 kilometers east of the city.

The eclipse path continues to Spain, where the Sun will be fully hidden at 20:26 local time. In Barcelona, the Sun will be only four degrees above the horizon, offering a rare sunset total eclipse. Observers may also witness the Sun's corona, the outer atmosphere, glowing orange around the Moon's silhouette. For those unable to view the eclipse, the planet Venus will be visible in the western sky shortly after sunset in the Northern Hemisphere. The following night, August 13, brings the annual Perseid meteor shower.

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the solar corona, the outermost part of the solar atmosphere, will glow orange as it appears to surround the silhouette of the Moon