Solar eclipse live updates: Path of totality to cross parts of Europe within hours

LIVE COVERAGEUpdated 14 minutes ago

Solar eclipse live updates: Path of totality to cross parts of Europe within hours

It’s the first time a total solar eclipse will be visible from mainland Europe since 1999. Northern U.S. states will get a partial solar eclipse

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Updated August 12, 2026, 12:23 PM EDT
By NBC News

What to know

• A total solar eclipse will be visible today from Spain, a small part of Portugal, Greenland, Iceland and northern Russia — the first time since 1999 that mainland Europe will be treated to the spectacle.
• Totality — when the moon fully blocks the sun — will mostly occur in the evening. In Reykjavík, Iceland, totality will begin at 5:48 p.m. (1:48 p.m. ET). In Valencia, Spain, it will start at 8:32 p.m. (2:32 p.m. ET).
• Most of Europe, Canada and northwestern Africa, along with parts of the northern U.S., will see a partial solar eclipse. In Anchorage, Alaska, it began at 7:36 a.m. local time; In New York City, it will start at 1:07 p.m. ET.
• NBC News’ Raf Sanchez is reporting from Valladolid, Spain, and Daniele Hamamdjian from the Royal Observatory in London.

14m ago / 12:23 PM EDT

How to watch online

If you aren’t along the path of totality today (or if bad weather is thwarting your chance to see the celestial alignment), you can still catch virtual views of the total solar eclipse

Several organizations plan to broadcast the eclipse online. NASA will host a livestream beginning at 1:15 p.m. ET, and the European Space Agency will carry a live broadcast on YouTubebeginning at 1:30 p.m. ET (7:30 p.m. CEST)

37m ago / 12:00 PM EDT

What is a solar eclipse?

A solar eclipse occurs when the sun, the moon and Earth align, with the moon passing in front of the sun and blocking its light

During a total solar eclipse, the moon fully obscures the sun’s light and skies darken as if it were dawn or dusk. Weather permitting, the sun’s outer atmosphere, which is normally obscured by the bright face of the sun, becomes visible during the moments of totality

In a partial solar eclipse, the moon blocks only part of the sun’s light, appearing to take a bite out of it

Another type of solar eclipse, known as an annular solar eclipse, occurs when all three celestial bodies align when the moon is at or near its farthest point from Earth. Because of this distance, the moon does not completely cover the sun. Instead, it appears as a dark disk on top of a brighter disk, an effect that leaves an orange-reddish ring around the moon

40m ago / 11:57 AM EDT

Preparations are well underway in Villalibado, Spain, where NASA will broadcast the event to the world

Photos from Villalibado, Spain, show NASA staff guarding helium cylinders and visitors setting up telescopes in preparation for the total solar eclipse today

Gabriel Luengas / Europa Press

Gabriel Luengas / Europa Press

Gabriel Luengas / Europa Press

40m ago / 11:57 AM EDT

Total eclipse craze grips Europe

Around 450,000 tourists were expected to arrive in Spain this week in search of the best views of the first total solar eclipse visible from mainland Europe since 1999

The eclipse’s path of totality — when the sun is fully blocked by the moon — will pass over Greenland first, then parts of Iceland, followed by northern Spain

Spain will reap the most economic benefits from tourists looking to witness the “magic” moment. The country’s government estimates the revenue from eclipse-related tourism will net 347 million euros, or $400 million

Read the full story here

40m ago / 11:57 AM EDT

Gearing up for a total solar eclipse

One of the year’s most highly anticipated skywatching events is finally here!

A total solar eclipse is set to darken late-afternoon skies for millions of people in Spain, a small part of Portugal, Greenland, Iceland and northern Russia

The eclipse will follow a path that cuts across the Arctic and through southern Europe. It will be the first time since 1999 that a total solar eclipse is visible from mainland Europe

Weather permitting, most of Europe, Canada and northwestern Africa, along with people in more than 20 northern U.S. states, will see a partial solar eclipse