Europe experienced its first total solar eclipse in more than two decades on 12 August 2026, with totality crossing Greenland, Iceland, Spain, and Portugal, the European Space Agency reported. Most of the rest of the continent observed a partial eclipse as the Moon blocked the Sun's bright disc.
ESA broadcast live coverage from the Observatorio Astrofísico de Javalambre in Spain, where totality lasted 1 minute and 21 seconds. Professor Carole Mundell, ESA's Director of Science, tracked the event alongside host Dame Dr Maggie Aderin during a programme covering solar corona dynamics and orbital eclipse research.
Orbital and ground observations
Agency teams established live telescope feeds across Spanish sites in León, Palencia, and Javalambre. In orbit, the MTG-I1 Earth observation satellite tracked the Moon's shadow moving across the planet, while the Proba-3 mission captured a double eclipse from Earth orbit.
Public outreach took place alongside the scientific monitoring, including an event organised by ESA, the City of León, and the University of León at the Palacio de Exposiciones y Congresos de León. Between 10,000 and 12,000 people attended a daytime programme featuring tactile 3D models and LightSound sensor demonstrations by ESA's CESAR education team, followed by 14,500 visitors during the evening totality programme.
Upcoming European eclipses
Two additional solar eclipses will pass over Europe in the coming years. A total eclipse will cross the southern tip of Spain, North Africa, and the Middle East on 2 August 2027, followed by an annular solar eclipse across Portugal and Spain on 26 January 2028.
