On August 12, 2026, the Moon aligned directly between Earth and the Sun, casting its shadow across northern Spain and revealing the solar corona.
Image credit: NASAIn San Millán de los Caballeros, totality lasted two minutes starting at 8:28 p.m. local time, occurring shortly before the Sun dipped below the horizon.
Image credit: NASAImages captured during totality revealed a glowing loop of super-hot plasma extending from the Sun, driven along complex magnetic field lines into the corona.
Image credit: NASANASA science teams staged in Iceland pursued the shadow using WB-57 jets, gathering infrared and visible imagery of the solar outer atmosphere during the eclipse.
Image credit: NASAResearchers with the Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project launched scientific balloons before, during, and after totality to measure changes in Earth's atmosphere.
Image credit: NASAAlthough land totality was confined to Spain, Greenland, and Iceland, skywatchers across North America, Europe, and Africa experienced a partial eclipse.
Image credit: NASASolar eclipses provide scientists with rare direct views of the solar corona, helping researchers better understand solar physics and Sun-Earth interactions.
Image credit: NASAWhile teams process data from 2026, astronomers prepare for the next total solar eclipse on August 2, 2027, crossing southern Spain and North Africa.
Image credit: NASAContinue with another visual space report selected from our latest published Stories.
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