Why the Solar Eclipse Won't Be Visible from Every Country

A total solar eclipse will occur on August 12, 2026, traversing parts of the Northern Hemisphere, but it will not be visible from Indonesia. According to NASA, the path of totality will pass over Greenland, Iceland, northern Russia, the Atlantic Ocean, Spain, and a small portion of Portugal. Other regions in North America, Europe, and northwestern Africa will experience a partial eclipse.

For observers in Indonesia, the eclipse will not be directly observable as the country lies far outside the eclipse's path. A solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun. Areas directly under the Moon's core shadow, the umbra, witness a total eclipse, while those in the penumbra see a partial eclipse.

Despite the lack of direct visibility in Indonesia, the public can follow the celestial event through NASA's official livestream. The broadcast is scheduled to begin on August 12 at 13:15 EDT, which translates to approximately 00:15 WIB on August 13 in Indonesia. The totality phase is expected to start around 00:45 WIB in Iceland and 01:28 WIB in Spain, with the date difference attributed to time zone variations.

NASA will also utilize the eclipse for scientific research, deploying WB-57 aircraft and scientific balloons to study the Sun's corona and Earth's atmospheric changes during the event. This astronomical phenomenon serves as a reminder that observing such events depends not only on the date but also on the specific location and time zone.