Total solar eclipse crossed Greenland, Iceland, Spain and Portugal on August 12, 2026 - Europe's first since 1999
A total solar eclipse swept across Greenland, Iceland, Spain and Portugal on August 12, 2026, the first to cross mainland Europe since 1999. Millions watched from Spain, which saw its first total eclipse in over a century. Per The Associated Press / NPR.
A total solar eclipse crossed Greenland, Iceland, Spain and Portugal on August 12, 2026, the first total eclipse to cross mainland Europe since 1999. Spanish authorities expected at least half a million extra visitors and set up 350 official viewing sites, deploying more than 33,500 police officers. Totality lasted just under two and a half minutes off Iceland's west coast, dwindling to about a minute by the time it reached Spain near sunset. It was Spain's first total solar eclipse in more than a century, and Iceland's first since 1954 (its capital Reykjavik last saw one in 1433). Sources: The Associated Press / NPR. Visuals and voiceover are AI-generated.