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Graphic illustration in warm orange, red and yellow tones. A yellow Sun sits near the centre of the image while a large pale grey Moon partially overlaps it, representing a solar eclipse. White dashed lines run diagonally across the background. In the lower right, a black-and-white cut-out photograph of a person wearing eclipse glasses looks towards the sky, adjusting the glasses with both hands. Concentric circular bands radiate from the Sun, creating a layered backdrop.

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How and when to see the solar eclipse

What you need to know about the UK and Europe's best eclipse in 27 years

By Paul Sargeant, Georgina Rannard and the Visual Journalism team 10 August 2026 Science

On the evening of 12 August, the whole of the UK will see its most dramatic partial solar eclipse in nearly three decades.

The same eclipse will be visible across Europe and some will enjoy the ultimate solar spectacle: a total solar eclipse.

Millions are expected to gather in northern Spain and on the west coast of Iceland, hoping clear skies will allow them to experience an awe-inspiring event as the Sun, the Moon and the Earth line up in space.

A backlit photograph of a person seen in silhouette from the shoulders up. Both hands are raised to the sides of their head as they adjust eclipse-viewing glasses. The Sun behind the person's head creates a bright white halo against a pale blue-grey sky. Small clouds sit low on either side of the frame, while the figure occupies the centre of the composition.

The light will dim and the crowds will find themselves in a strange, hushed twilight.

A close-up photograph of a total solar eclipse against a near-black sky. The Moon appears as a dark circular silhouette centred in the frame, blocking the Sun. A brilliant white burst of sunlight emerges from the right-hand edge, creating the diamond ring effect. A faint bluish-white solar corona forms a soft halo around the dark disc, while small pink prominences are visible along the edge of the Moon.

The temperature will suddenly drop and the wind slows, and even changes direction, as the Sun begins to disappear behind the Moon.

For a brief moment a flare of sunlight on the Moon's rim will make it seem as if a huge diamond ring is hanging in the sky.

A dramatic photograph of a total solar eclipse against a black sky. The Moon forms a dark circular silhouette in the centre, completely covering the Sun and revealing a bright white corona around its edge. A passenger aircraft in silhouette appears at the upper left, seemingly crossing the eclipse, while two dark vapour trails extend diagonally from the right side of the frame. The image is almost entirely monochrome, with the glowing halo providing the only illumination.

Then the flare will vanish and it will seem as if a giant hole has devoured the Sun.

While in dusk of the Moon's shadow, everything is uncannily still: birds can go quiet, thinking it is time to roost, while nocturnal insects may wake up and begin to chirp.

And then - if the Sun has not yet set - daylight will return as quickly as it left and the world will continue as if nothing had happened.

It's a singular feeling that some people travel around the world in the hope of experiencing.

A wide photograph showing a row of people standing outdoors with cameras, telescopes and tripods arranged along a low ridge. All figures appear in silhouette against a deep blue-grey sky. A bright eclipsed Sun hangs high in the upper left of the frame, casting an eerie twilight glow. Faint stars are visible across the sky, while the foreground landscape remains dark. The observers and equipment form a continuous line across the horizon, emphasising the scale of the viewing event.

Where can I see the eclipse?

For most people in the path of the total eclipse, the Sun will be hidden for less than two minutes - much shorter than four minutes experienced in the US in 2024.

It will begin at the tip of Siberia in Russia, before curving around between Iceland and Greenland, and a large proportion of the path of the total eclipse will pass through uninhabited stretches of the Arctic Circle and the North Atlantic Ocean.

An illustrated globe centred on Europe, the North Atlantic and North Africa showing the varying visibility of a solar eclipse. A narrow dark band marking 100% eclipse, or totality, runs from the far North Atlantic into western Europe, passing close to Iceland and the British Isles before continuing south towards the Iberian Peninsula. Surrounding the path of totality are progressively lighter shaded bands representing decreasing eclipse coverage. The 90% band covers much of the British Isles, northern France and nearby areas of western Europe. The 75% band extends further across western and central Europe and into the eastern North Atlantic.The 50% band reaches across a large portion of Europe, North Africa and the North Atlantic Ocean, while the 30% and 10% bands spread even wider, covering most of the visible hemisphere shown in the graphic, including parts of eastern Europe, Scandinavia, the Mediterranean region, North Africa and large areas of the surrounding ocean. A red curved arrow highlights the route of the eclipse's central track towards western Europe. The darkest shading corresponds to the greatest obscuration of the Sun, while lighter bands indicate progressively smaller partial eclipses further from the centre line.

The last place on land to view the eclipse will be on the islands of Majorca and Menorca, before the shadow disappears in the Mediterranean Sea as the Sun sets.

In fact, in large parts of Europe - particularly in Central and Eastern Europe - the Sun will still be partially eclipsed as it sets over the horizon.

Though the total eclipse will only be visible along a narrow path, the area covered by a partial eclipse will stretch across almost the whole of Europe.

Dublin will see a partial eclipse covering 94% of the Sun, Paris 92%, London 90%, Berlin 85%.

A blue-toned map centred on Iceland, the United Kingdom, Ireland, France and Spain. Semi-transparent curved bands sweep across the map, illustrating varying levels of eclipse coverage. A dark central band marked "100%" shows the path of totality, while lighter surrounding bands show areas experiencing 90% and 75% eclipse coverage. A red curved arrow traces the eclipse's route southwards across the North Atlantic towards western Europe. Text on the map notes that "UK and Ireland will see up to a 97% of the Sun covered". Country labels identify Iceland, France and Spain. The darkest shading represents complete coverage of the Sun, while lighter bands indicate progressively smaller partial eclipses further from the centreline.

Eclipse watching in the UK

If the skies stay clear of clouds, the best views of this partial eclipse will be in the west.

You will not see a full eclipse in the UK as the path of totality passes at sea off the south-west coast.

But the entire UK will be covered by the partial shadow of the Moon, with people in Cornwall and Pembrokeshire seeing about 95% eclipse, and most of the country seeing about 90% coverage.

A 90% eclipse will look something like this with the Moon crossing the Sun low in the sky.

Diagram showing the paths of the Sun and Moon across the western sky during the 12 August eclipse. Two curved lines slope downward towards the horizon, marking the apparent tracks of the Sun and Moon. The Sun's position is labelled at 17:00, 18:00 and 19:00, showing its descent towards the west. A label indicates that the "Eclipse peaks" shortly after 19:00. A dark silhouette of trees lines the horizon beneath a twilight-blue sky, with "W" marking west.

Depending on where you are in the UK, it will peak between 19:02 BST and 19:16 BST.

A blue-grey map of the United Kingdom, Ireland and surrounding parts of northern Europe. White labels identify the times of maximum eclipse in several cities: Edinburgh at 19:05, Belfast at 19:08, Manchester at 19:10, Cardiff at 19:13 and London at 19:13. Semi-transparent blue bands curve across the map, indicating the eclipse shadow passing over the region. City locations are marked by white dots connected to their labels. The visual demonstrates that the peak of the eclipse occurs slightly earlier in the north and west before progressing towards southern parts of the UK.

Find the best places to watch the eclipse across the UK:
• Watching in England
• Watching in Scotland
• Watching in Northern Ireland

For those lucky enough to be in Spain there is a chance to see a total eclipse in Bilbao, Valencia and Palma, in Mallorca, with both Barcelona and Madrid seeing more than 99% coverage.

Depending on the location, the total eclipse peaks between 20:26 and 20:33 local time (19:26 to 19:33 BST).

BBC map of Spain and the western Mediterranean showing the path of the total eclipse as a dark band stretching diagonally from northwest Spain to the east coast and out to the Balearic islands. It shows the times of the peak eclipse in major cities: Bilbao at 20:27, Barcelona at 20:29, Palma at 20:31, Madrid at 20:32, Valencia at 20:33, and Seville at 20:37.

How can I watch the eclipse?

Looking directly at the Sun can severely damage your eyes - even during an eclipse.

Never look directly at the Sun without special eclipse glasses. Do not use standard sunglasses as they could leave you with permanently damaged eyes.

A nighttime outdoor photograph showing two eclipse watchers in the foreground. Both are wearing white eclipse-viewing glasses and looking upwards toward the sky. One person has a long white beard and wears a brown jacket with decorative lacing and a pink flower pinned to the chest. The second person wears a white embroidered garment and holds eclipse-viewing cards near the face while adjusting the glasses. Bright vehicle headlights glow in the distance on the left, with dark green trees and parked cars forming the background. The scene is lit by the unusual twilight conditions created by the eclipse.

A close-up photograph of a child standing in the foreground wearing dark blue eclipse-viewing glasses and looking upwards. The child is dressed in a white top and carries a pale purple backpack, with hands clasped together while holding a pink jacket. Behind, a crowd of people also wear eclipse glasses and look towards the sky. The background is softly out of focus, with colourful clothing, pink and yellow balloons, and autumnal trees creating a lively public viewing scene. Bright sunlight illuminates the faces and clothing, emphasising the communal nature of the eclipse event.

The only time you can look without special glasses is for the brief period when the Sun is totally eclipsed by the Moon - which won't happen in the UK, meaning you must wear eye protection at all times.

And you cannot use binoculars or telescopes or the viewfinder of a camera even while wearing eclipse glasses - the magnifying effect can nullify the protection of the glasses and damage your sight.

If you do not have a pair of eclipse glasses you will need to follow the eclipse indirectly using a pinhole projector.

You can make a simple one with a single sheet of card or something more ambitious using a cardboard box - or you can use a colander to project multiple images all at once.

An instructional graphic on a black background demonstrating a simple pinhole projector. A sheet of light grey card labelled “Paper or cardboard with pinhole” is positioned above a second sheet labelled “Paper”. A small hole marked “Pinhole” allows a yellow beam of sunlight, shown with a white arrow, to pass through and project onto the lower sheet. Labels identify the sunlight path and the pinhole. The illustration explains how to observe an eclipse indirectly by projecting the Sun's image onto a separate surface rather than viewing it directly.

A labelled instructional diagram illustrating a box-style pinhole projector against a black background. A grey cardboard box is shown in cross-section. A yellow beam labelled “Sunlight” enters through a small pinhole in a piece of aluminium foil attached to the top of the box. Inside, the light projects an image of a partially eclipsed Sun onto a sheet of white paper fixed to the opposite interior wall. A separate viewing cut-out allows the observer to look into the box and see the projected image safely. White leader lines identify each component, while a red eye symbol marks the viewing position.

The only time you can look without special glasses is for the brief period when the Sun is totally eclipsed by the Moon - which won't happen in the UK, meaning you must wear eye protection at all times.

And you cannot use binoculars or telescopes or the viewfinder of a camera even while wearing eclipse glasses - the magnifying effect can nullify the protection of the glasses and damage your sight.

If you do not have a pair of eclipse glasses you will need to follow the eclipse indirectly using a pinhole projector.

You can make a simple one with a single sheet of card to project the eclipse against the floor or a wall - you can even use a colander to project multiple images all at once.

Or, if you plan ahead, you can make something more ambitious using a cardboard box to give you a private viewing screen. This can make the early stages of the eclipse easier to see.

What do you see during a total eclipse?

When the Sun is fully eclipsed, the black disk of the Moon will be surrounded by faint feathers of light waving as if in an invisible cosmic breeze.

A closer view reveals them to be more like sheets of flame pulsing out around the shadow of the Moon as this video shows.

Close-up image of a total solar eclipse. A dark, circular silhouette of the Moon completely covers the Sun, while the Sun's glowing orange corona forms a bright ring around the edge. Streams of light extend outward from the corona against a dark reddish-orange sky dotted with a few faint stars.

This luminous flare radiating from the blackness is the corona of the Sun - superheated jets of gas thrown thousands of miles out into space.

This is the kind of thing a total solar eclipse allows us to see that are normally hidden by the incredibly strong light of the Sun.

Scientists will look even closer to record glowing red or pink loops of gas called prominences flowing and bending out from the Sun’s surface.

They follow the Sun’s turbulent magnetic fields, and these huge plasma structures can sometimes be released into space, causing coronal mass ejections.

Why does an eclipse happen?

An eclipse is simply the light from the Sun being stopped from reaching the Earth as the Moon passes between the two of them.

An illustrated graphic showing the alignment of the Sun, Moon and Earth during a total solar eclipse. The Sun appears on the left as a large yellow-orange sphere surrounded by concentric orange rings representing sunlight. The Moon is positioned between the Sun and Earth and casts a narrow dark cone labelled "Umbra" onto Earth's surface. Earth appears on the right as a blue globe with Europe, Africa and parts of Asia visible. The umbra reaches a small area of the planet, representing the narrow path where observers experience totality. A dotted white line runs horizontally through the centre of the illustration. Labels identify "SUN", "MOON", "EARTH" and "Umbra".

The Moon's shadow creates an area of almost total darkness on the Earth around 150 miles (250km) wide - known as the umbra.

A second illustrated graphic following the same style and sequence of the previous one shows the wider penumbra, where the Moon blocks only part of the Sun, creating a partial eclipse visible across a much larger area of Earth.

Either side is the partial eclipse shadow - known as the penumbra - and the further you are from the centre the less complete the eclipse will appear.

A third illustrated graphic following the same style and sequence of the previous ones showing what the Moon’s orbit would look like if it was in the same plane as the Earth’s orbit around the Sun.

If the Moon's orbit was along the same plane as the Earth's orbit around the Sun, there would be a solar eclipse every month.

A fourth illustrated graphic following the same style and sequence of the previous ones

But the Moon orbits at a slight angle, so they line up less often, and we get a solar eclipse every 18 months.

On the other hand, the fact that we get to experience a total eclipse at all is an incredible cosmological coincidence.

The Sun is 150 million kilometres (93 million miles) away from the Earth - 400 times further away than the Moon.

But the Moon is 400 times smaller than the Sun - meaning they appear exactly the same size in our sky.

A graphic explaining the coincidence that makes total solar eclipses possible. The Sun appears as a glowing yellow-orange sphere on the left against a background of concentric orange rings. Nearby, a white-grey Moon is shown for comparison, while a large blue Earth occupies the lower right corner of the image. Large text states that the "Sun 400x bigger than the Moon" and that the "Moon 400x closer to the Earth". The graphic visually demonstrates that although the Sun is vastly larger than the Moon, its much greater distance causes both objects to appear almost the same size in Earth's sky.

If the Moon was slightly smaller or its orbit was a little further away from the Earth then we would never see a total eclipse.

In fact, eventually, that is exactly what will happen, as the Moon is slowly moving further from the Earth.

Fortunately, it is only drifting away by a few centimetres each year, so the good news is total eclipses are expected to continue for about another 600 million years.

Which should give us all enough time to see one if we want to.