On August 12, 2026 the Moon's shadow sweeps a real path across Earth - Siberia, Greenland, Iceland, the North Atlantic, and Spain. Scrub the path slider to move a shadow marker along that route and read the published local totality times for each region.
Published figures: NASA and ESA eclipse maps put the path of totality across Greenland, Iceland, northern Russia, the North Atlantic, and Spain, with a small corner of Portugal - the first total solar eclipse to reach mainland Europe since 1999. Reykjavik sees totality about 5:48 to 5:49 p.m. local time; Leon, Spain sees it about 8:28 to 8:30 p.m. local time.
Drag to orbit and scroll or pinch to zoom. Scrub the path slider, press Play sweep, or jump straight to Iceland or Spain.
2026 Total Solar Eclipse Path 3D Explorer
On August 12, 2026 the Moon's shadow sweeps a real, published path across Earth - Siberia, Greenland, Iceland, the North Atlantic, and Spain. Scrub the path slider from 0 to 100 percent and watch a shadow marker move along that route while the panel names the region underneath it and reads out published local totality times.
This is the first total solar eclipse to cross mainland Europe since 1999. NASA and ESA maps place the path over Greenland's ice sheet, the west coast of Iceland near Reykjavik, open North Atlantic water, and northern Spain before it ends near the Mediterranean coast and a small corner of Portugal, just before local sunset.
- Scrub the path slider from 0 to 100 percent, or press Play sweep to watch the shadow move automatically
- Jump straight to Iceland or Spain with the quick buttons
- Read published local totality times for Reykjavik and Leon as the shadow passes each region
- Drag to orbit the globe, scroll or pinch to zoom
- Runs fully in the browser with the vendored three.js engine - no account, no upload
| Figure | Published value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Event date | August 12, 2026 | NASA / ESA |
| Path of totality | Greenland, Iceland, northern Russia, the North Atlantic, Spain, a small corner of Portugal | NASA Science |
| Maximum totality duration | under 2 min for most of the path; up to about 2 min 30 sec near the path center (Greenland / Russia / North Atlantic) | NASA Science |
| Reykjavik, Iceland totality | about 5:48 to 5:49 p.m. local time | NASA Science |
| Leon, Spain totality | about 8:28 to 8:30 p.m. local time | NASA Science |
| Nearby Spanish cities (Burgos, Valladolid, Soria) | roughly 1 min 42 to 45 sec of totality | Published eclipse overviews |
| Historical note | first total solar eclipse crossing mainland Europe since 1999; the next to cross a large part of Europe is not until 2075 | ESA |
Most places along the path see under two minutes of totality; only locations very near the center of the path in Greenland, northern Russia, or the North Atlantic get a little longer, though still under two and a half minutes. Alaska, Canada, and the northern United States see only a partial eclipse - a small bite out of the Sun's disk, not full darkness.
For the general mechanism behind any solar eclipse - why the Sun and Moon look almost the same size in the sky, how the umbra and penumbra work, and the Saros repeat cycle - see the Solar Eclipse 3D Explorer. That page teaches the physics with an illustrative, undated shadow sweep; this page shows the real geography and published local times for this one specific, dated event.
Everything renders on your device with WebGL. The 3D engine loads once (about 0.7 MB) and is cached.
This is an educational approximation, not NASA's precise eclipse-prediction map - the yellow path line connects eight published waypoint regions with straight spherical segments between them, not the exact center-line coordinates NASA computes from orbital mechanics. For exact local circumstances at a specific address, use NASA's or timeanddate.com's official interactive eclipse maps.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does the August 12, 2026 total solar eclipse cross land?
NASA and ESA maps place the path of totality across Greenland, Iceland, northern Russia, the North Atlantic, and Spain, ending with a small corner of Portugal - the first total solar eclipse to cross mainland Europe since 1999.
How long does totality last?
Under two minutes for most of the path. Only locations very near the center of the path in Greenland, northern Russia, or the North Atlantic get a little longer, though still under two and a half minutes, per NASA's published figures.
What time does totality happen in Iceland and Spain?
NASA publishes totality in Reykjavik, Iceland at about 5:48 to 5:49 p.m. local time, and in Leon, Spain at about 8:28 to 8:30 p.m. local time. Nearby Spanish cities such as Burgos, Valladolid, and Soria see roughly 1 minute 42 to 45 seconds of totality.
Will I see anything from the United States or Canada?
Only a partial eclipse - a small bite taken out of the Sun's disk from parts of Alaska, Canada, and the northern United States. Full darkness (totality) is limited to the narrow path across Greenland, Iceland, northern Russia, the North Atlantic, and Spain.
Is the yellow path on the globe the exact eclipse path?
No. It is an illustrative line connecting eight NASA and ESA published waypoint regions with straight spherical segments - not NASA's precise eclipse-prediction center line, which is computed from orbital mechanics and published as detailed map data. For the exact local circumstances at one address, use NASA's or timeanddate.com's official interactive eclipse maps.
How is this different from the Solar Eclipse 3D Explorer?
The Solar Eclipse 3D Explorer teaches the general eclipse mechanism - why the Sun and Moon look almost the same size, how the umbra and penumbra work, and the Saros repeat cycle - with an illustrative, undated shadow sweep. This page instead shows the real geography and published local times for one specific, dated event: the August 12, 2026 total solar eclipse.