A total solar eclipse will be visible from mainland Western Europe on Wednesday for the first time since 1999, with the Moon’s umbral shadow crossing northern Siberia, the Arctic Ocean and eastern Greenland before passing over western Iceland and reaching northern Spain, briefly clipping northeastern Portugal before ending at sunset over Spain’s Mediterranean coast and the Balearic Islands.
Maximum totality will occur over the North Atlantic, west of Iceland. Reykjavík will see totality at 5:48 p.m. local time (15:48 GMT), while parts of northern Spain, including A Coruña and Bilbao, will enter totality shortly before sunset, starting at around 8:28 p.m. local time (18:28 GMT) in northwestern Spain. Madrid and Barcelona will see a partial eclipse, along with most of the rest of Europe.
The difference between a total and an annular solar eclipse
Depending on the Moon’s size in relation to the Earth, a solar eclipse can completely cover the sun (total) or show a bright ring of sunlight (annular).
Diagram comparing a total solar eclipse with an annular solar eclipse, showing how the Moon’s apparent size determines whether it completely covers the Sun or leaves a bright ring of sunlight, known as the “ring of fire.”Note: Not to scale.
Sources: NASA and IGN.
Whether an eclipse is total or annular depends on the Moon’s distance from Earth. Because its orbit is elliptical rather than perfectly circular, the Moon sometimes appears slightly bigger or smaller in the sky.
A total solar eclipse happens when the Moon is closer to Earth and appears large enough to cover the Sun completely. Daylight briefly gives way to darkness, temperatures drop and stars may become visible. During the few minutes of totality, observers can view the Sun’s outer atmosphere, known as the corona, without eye protection.
Interactive globe showing the paths of all total solar eclipses between 2026 and 2100. Users can explore how the Moon’s shadow crosses different parts of the world during each eclipse.Note: Predicted eclipse paths are approximate.
Source: Eclipse path data by Xavier Jubier, based on NASA/GSFC Besselian elements by Fred Espenak and Jean Meeus.
Outside the narrow path of totality, a partial solar eclipse will be visible across much of the Northern Hemisphere. Observers across most of Europe, including the UK, Ireland, France and Italy, will see the Moon cover a significant portion of the Sun before sunset. Northwestern Africa will also see a deep partial eclipse. In North America, the eclipse will be partially visible from northern and eastern Canada, Alaska and the northern United States. Proper solar viewing glasses are required throughout the eclipse, as looking directly at the Sun remains unsafe.
Worldwide, the next total solar eclipses will be visible across Australia and New Zealand in 2028, southern Africa in 2030 and Japan in 2035.A seagull passes a partial solar eclipse above Greenland’s capital Nuuk, on March 29, 2025. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger
Totality will return to North America in 2044, when the Moon’s shadow will cross western Canada and the western United States, followed by a coast-to-coast eclipse across Canada and the United States in 2045. In Western Europe and northwestern Africa, the eclipse will still be in progress at sunset. The UK’s next total eclipse is in 2090, France’s in 2081 and Germany’s not until the next century.
A ring of sunlight
An annular solar eclipse happens when the Moon is farther from Earth and appears slightly smaller than the Sun. It crosses the Sun without covering it completely, leaving a bright ring of sunlight known as the “ring of fire.” The sky dims, but never becomes fully dark.
Annular eclipses by year
2026 2100
Drag the globe to explore
Interactive globe showing the paths of all annular solar eclipses between 2026 and 2100. Users can explore where the Moon leaves a ring of sunlight visible during each eclipse.Note: Predicted eclipse paths are approximate.
Source: Eclipse path data by Xavier Jubier, based on NASA/GSFC Besselian elements by Fred Espenak and Jean Meeus.
The 2026 eclipse is the first of three successive solar eclipses visible from Spain. It will be followed by another total solar eclipse on August 2, 2027, with the path of totality crossing southern Spain before continuing across Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Yemen, and then by an annular solar eclipse on January 26, 2028, which will also be visible from Spain.
2026–2100
2026 2100
Total Annular
Two maps comparing total and annular solar eclipses visible from Europe. The left map shows eclipse paths between 1900 and 2026, while the right map shows predicted eclipse paths from 2026 to 2100, highlighting how eclipse visibility changes over time.Note: Predicted eclipse paths are approximate.
Source: Eclipse path data by Xavier Jubier, based on NASA/GSFC Besselian elements by Fred Espenak and Jean Meeus.
After Spain’s 2028 event, no annular solar eclipses will cross Europe for several years. The next ones will instead cross Australia, followed by southern Africa and parts of the Middle East during the 2030s.
Fonte: Reuters
