Total Solar Eclipse to Cross Greenland Iceland and Spain on August 12

A total solar eclipse will occur on 12 August as the moon passes between Earth and the sun. The path of totality begins in Russia around midday before moving eastward across the Arctic Ocean just south of the North Pole. The moon’s shadow will reach northeastern Greenland just after 4:00 pm local time and travel along the eastern coast at more than 3400 kilometres per hour.

Maximum totality will last about 2 minutes and 18 seconds as the shadow crosses into the Atlantic Ocean. The eclipse will become visible from more populated areas when it reaches Iceland. In Reykjavík totality will last just over one minute at 5:48 pm local time.

This marks the first total eclipse visible in Iceland since 1954 and the last until 2196. After crossing Iceland the path will reach northern Spain just before 8:30 pm local time, grazing the northeast corner of Portugal and the Balearic Islands before sunset ends the event. A partial solar eclipse will be visible across parts of the US, Africa, the entire UK, much of Europe and Canada.

In many of those locations the partial phase will last more than an hour.