Preview to Totality: A Resource Guide to the August 12th Total Solar Eclipse

• On August 12, 2026, the only total solar eclipse of the year will occur, with totality crossing Greenland, Iceland, the North Atlantic, and Spain.
• Partial phases will be visible across North America, reaching as far west as Alaska.

Weather and Environmental Concerns

• Weather is the primary variable for eclipse chasers; current forecasts suggest cloudy skies for Iceland and mostly clear skies for northeastern Spain.
• Ongoing wildfires in Spain and southern France remain a concern, following a recent fire near NASA's Deep Space Network complex in Madrid.

Solar Activity and Phenomena

• As we are currently near the peak of Solar Cycle 25, the Sun remains highly active; current activity can be monitored via NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory.
• There is a slim, theoretical possibility of auroras appearing during totality in Iceland or Greenland if a Coronal Mass Ejection impacts Earth around August 9th.
• Eclipse enthusiasts can track coronal shape predictions via ESA’s KU Leuven COCONUT model and monitor for potential sungrazing comets using the SOHO LASCO and GOES-19 CCOR-1 coronagraphs.

Online Viewing Resources

• For those not in the path of totality, NASA, ESA, and the Virtual Telescope Project are scheduled to host live webcasts of the event.