The solar eclipse on August 12, 2026 is set to be one of the astronomical highlights of the year.
From Greenland, Iceland, Spain and a tiny region of northern Portugal, a total solar eclipse will be visible, when the Moon will cover the Sun completely.
For the rest of Europe, the UK and parts of northern USA and Canada, a partial solar eclipse will be visible instead.
Our complete August 2026 eclipse guides
And later that night, the Perseid meteor shower – one of the best meteor showers of the year – will peak.
It's set to be an amazing day.
We've got a wealth of eclipse path maps, charts and animations to help you prepare for both the solar eclipse and the Perseid meteor shower, so we thought we'd put them all in one place!
Global solar eclipse map
This map shows all the regions that will see the August 2026 solar eclipse, total and partial.
The dark black line indicates the 'line of totality', from where the total solar eclipse will be visible.
Total solar eclipse map for Spain and Portugal
This map shows the path of totality across Spain and Portugal, from where a total solar eclipse will be visible.
UK and Ireland solar eclipse chart
This chart shows how the partial solar eclipse will play out for the UK and Ireland. Timings are given for the centre of mainland Britain, so you may need to adjust timings slightly, depending on where you're observing from.
NASA animation for the global solar eclipse
A NASA animation showing the global view of the August 2026 solar eclipse and how the shadow of the Moon will pass over Earth's surface.
NASA animation for the North America solar eclipse
Animation showing how the partial solar eclipse will pass over the USA and Canada and where you need to be to see it
NASA animation for the European total solar eclipse
A zoomed-in view of the total solar eclipse passing over Greenland, Iceland, Spain and Portugal
August 2026 solar eclipse video guide
Our video guide to observing the August 2026 solar eclipse.
Solar eclipses explained
Our beginner's video guide to solar eclipses.
Perseid meteor shower chart
Chart showing the radiant of the 2026 Perseid meteor shower. This is the region of the sky from which Perseid meteors will appear to originate.
Meteor shower video guide
Our beginner's guide to meteor showers, what they are and how to see them.
Share your eclipse and Perseid observations and images with us by emailing contactus@skyatnightmagazine.com
