On Aug. 12, 2026, a complete photo voltaic eclipse will flash throughout a small a part of the Northern Hemisphere, bringing totality to Greenland, Iceland and Spain.
Totality lasts solely a few minutes, however planning the right eclipse journey can take months or years. So we requested eclipse specialists and seasoned eclipse chasers from around the globe what it takes to witness totality in all its glory.
Whether or not you are a first-timer or a returning “umbraphile,” this information will assist you to put together for one in every of nature’s biggest occasions.
Why location is every part
To witness a complete photo voltaic eclipse, you have to be throughout the slim path of totality — the strip of land the place the moon fully blocks the solar. Even a 99% eclipse leaves the dazzling photo voltaic disk uncovered, and the magic of the corona — the solar’s ghostly outer ambiance — is misplaced.
These in japanese Greenland are more likely to be on a cruise ship and virtually definitely in Scoresby Sund, which is solely throughout the path of totality. In Iceland, solely the west coast is within the path. For Spain, the trail narrowly misses each Madrid and Barcelona, nevertheless it crosses a number of the nation’s most distant and delightful areas. Nevertheless, in Spain, the eclipse happens shortly earlier than sundown, so there is a danger that will probably be too low to be seen.
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“Many nationwide parks are in mountainous areas, which may block your view — not perfect for this eclipse,” mentioned Oscar Martín Mesonero, an astrotourism knowledgeable and eclipse chaser who runs Startrails in Salamanca, simply south of the trail. “However Spain has many stunning rural areas with open skies, previous cities, Roman aqueducts and castles — good for combining eclipse chasing with journey.”
Cruise ships and Greenland
There may also be hundreds of individuals on cruise ships; many usually sail into the Mediterranean anyway and have tweaked their itineraries to be off the coast of Spain. Nevertheless, it might be trickier to discover a clear view.
“The prospects are higher on land than over the ocean,” mentioned Jay Anderson, a Canadian meteorologist and veteran eclipse chaser who offers eclipse-related climatology and climate info on Eclipsophile. “However even with excessive common cloud cowl, satellite tv for pc photos typically present that there are at all times some areas of clear skies.” Photos from the geostationary Eumetsat satellites will likely be essential for locating a transparent spot.
It’ll matter the place the ship is. The locations on the monitor which might be more than likely to be cloudy are alongside the Greenland coast and wherever within the Atlantic, however clear skies are extra probably off northern Spain and extremely probably within the Mediterranean.
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For the adventurous, Greenland presents pristine Arctic landscapes, and for these on expedition-style cruises in Scoresby Sund, there will likely be a complete photo voltaic eclipse of as much as 2 minutes, 17 seconds, with the solar about 25 levels above the western horizon. It is a bucket-list journey about extra than simply the eclipse, and journey prices are excessive — it is one thing for skilled eclipse chasers who need one thing new and thrilling. With journey and logistics in hand, the one challenge is the climate.
“It isn’t too unreasonable to count on first rate circumstances as a result of air flowing off the ice cap and all the way down to the ocean tends to dry out and clear the clouds,” Anderson mentioned of Scoresby Sund. “Nevertheless, if a big climate system strikes in, it could possibly blanket the entire sky and stick round for days.” Let’s hope not; Scoresby Sund hasn’t seen a complete photo voltaic eclipse since 1187 and, after 2026, will not witness one once more till 2911.
Iceland
Iceland presents some of the photogenic landscapes on Earth — together with waterfalls, volcanoes and geothermal spas — and boasts the longest totality on land, at 2 minutes, 13.7 seconds. It will likely be Iceland’s first complete photo voltaic eclipse since 1954. The eclipse additionally happens 25 levels above the southwest horizon, so there is no want to fret about sight traces.
“The trail passes over essentially the most populated areas of the nation, about 290,000 folks,” mentioned Sævar Helgi Bragason, Iceland’s most well-known eclipse chaser, who presents maps and extra on Eclipse2026.is. Solely the west of the nation — the Reykjanes Peninsula, the Snaefellsnes Peninsula and the Westfjords — are within the path. The principle roads are glorious, however mobility could possibly be a problem.
“Tourism has taken its toll on most of the single-lane roads, and we’re anticipating heavy visitors,” Sævar mentioned. “Eclipse chasers will not be the issue as a result of they are going to know the place to go. However the eclipse is on a Wednesday, and locals will most likely cease working at round midday after which drive to wherever they wish to go.”
Meaning a number of visitors, so get within the path as early within the day as attainable. Arriving late for an eclipse aligns with Icelandic tradition. “Nature is so unpredictable right here — we may have a volcanic eruption taking place the identical day; it is an actual chance, Sævar mentioned, “so we normally do not put together for something till very late.”
One other challenge with Iceland is the climate. “There is a saying in Iceland that when you do not just like the climate, simply wait 5 minutes, and it will change fully,” Sævar mentioned. “Even storms are typically damaged up in patches. Once we chase the northern lights in winter, we’re bombarded by a blizzard for a couple of minutes, after which it clears up once more.” Iceland has distinctive climate forecasts from the Icelandic Met Workplace, which additionally offers aurora forecasts.
“Iceland may be very seldom fully overcast in August — there’s at all times a gap someplace,” Anderson mentioned. He thinks it’s going to probably be attainable to remain in Reykjavik, which is within the path, and take a morning drive north for as much as two-and-a-half hours to the place clear climate is forecast. “Western Iceland is the sunniest half, however there’s a number of moisture, so get near the water on one in every of these peninsulas to have a little bit of an onshore circulate.”
Spain
Most vacationers will head to Spain for the 2026 complete photo voltaic eclipse. The trail of totality — the primary in Spain since 1905 — cuts a diagonal monitor throughout the northeast of the nation, from Galicia to Catalonia, with the longest length (about 1 minute, 44 seconds) occurring simply earlier than sundown.
Terrain issues. “Spain is the second-most mountainous nation in Europe, after Switzerland,” Eduard Masana Fresno, an astronomer on the Institute of Cosmos Sciences in Barcelona. “There are the Cantabrian Mountains within the north of the trail, the Meseta plateau north of Madrid and the Iberian System within the east of the trail.”
In japanese areas and Mallorca, even modest hills may block the eclipse solely. Nevertheless, the brand new Eclipse Viewing Map from Spain’s Geographic Institute accounts for the terrain, atmospheric refraction and azimuth (place on the horizon) of the solar to assist observers keep away from blocked sight traces. There’s one more reason to keep away from shaded valleys and japanese slopes of mountain ranges: Late-day storms are widespread in August, though common August cloud cowl throughout the trail is lower than 50%.
Journey in and round Spain will likely be pretty simple, however keep in mind that there will likely be a number of locals touring into the trail on eclipse day, significantly from Madrid and Barcelona. “The Spanish love highway journeys, and lots of will likely be on vacation within the path,” Mesonero mentioned. “Folks from throughout Spain will head to the trail, and lodging could possibly be tough — it is peak trip season.” He expects there to be eclipse occasions all through the trail, even in locations close to the sting that solely get 30 seconds of totality.
From chatting with eclipse chasers in Spain, one factor is obvious: Don’t try to drive again to Madrid or Barcelona proper after the eclipse, otherwise you’ll be queuing with maybe hundreds of thousands of individuals. As a substitute, keep in a single day within the path. Another excuse to take action is the Perseid meteor bathe, which peaks Aug. 12-13, only a few hours after the eclipse. Rural skies may also showcase the Milky Means arching throughout the southern sky.
Suppose like an eclipse chaser
Wherever you go, eclipse specialists agree on three key methods: Plan forward, examine climate forecasts and keep cell. Whether or not you chase the eclipse from Spain’s plains, Iceland’s wild coast or Greenland’s icy fjords, witnessing the 2026 complete photo voltaic eclipse will likely be a second you will carry for all times. And when you miss this one otherwise you wish to plan your subsequent journey, there will likely be one other probability pretty quickly: Spain will expertise one other complete photo voltaic eclipse precisely one lunar 12 months later, on Aug. 2, 2027.
