Photos: Total solar eclipse captured over Europe, North America
The moon completely blocked the sun along a narrow path across Iceland, Spain and Portugal, while a much larger area saw a partial solar eclipse.
NASA was live with the moment the sun was fully eclipsed in León, Spain, on Aug. 12.
The moon passed directly between Earth and the sun on Wednesday, creating a spectacular total solar eclipse, the first anywhere in the world since 2024.
Millions of people gathered across Iceland, Spain and Portugal to watch from the path of totality, the only area where the moon completely blocked the sun.
Thick clouds obscured the view across Iceland, including the capital of Reykjavik, but the sky still darkened as the moon’s shadow swept across the region.
Clearer conditions unfolded across Spain and northern Portugal, giving residents and eclipse chasers a view of totality near sunset. In many areas, the total eclipse lasted around 1 to 2 minutes.
A man wears special eclipse glasses, as beachgoers gather before a total solar eclipse set to begin around sunset, at a beach near Valencia, Spain, Wednesday Aug. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)
In Spain, crowds began to gather early in the day ahead of the late-afternoon eclipse. More than 33,000 law enforcement officers were deployed for the celestial event, with concerns that the influx of activity could spark wildfires. “High temperatures, the accumulated dryness of vegetation, and the intense pressure on natural areas due to projected travel necessitate extreme preventive measures,” Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said, according to a report from The Associated Press.
Eclipse glasses across Europe were selling out quickly, including in areas outside of the path of totality, as they are required to look at the sun safely when it is not 100% blocked by the moon.
People exchange special eclipse glasses before a total solar eclipse set to begin around sunset, at a beach near Valencia, Spain, Wednesday Aug. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)
Partial solar eclipse for rest of Europe, part of North America
A much larger part of the world experienced a partial solar eclipse, including all of Europe, Canada and parts of Alaska, the Midwest and the Northeast. While not nearly as dramatic as totality, the partial eclipse still gave people a chance to see the moon appear to take a bite out of the sun.
One photographer in Hodgdon, Maine, perfectly timed a photograph to capture the International Space Station as it transited the sun during the partial solar eclipse, despite some clouds.
This image provided by NASA shows the Sun during a partial solar eclipse, partially obscured by clouds, as the International Space Station transits in silhouette at roughly five miles per second on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, near Hodgdon, Maine. (Joel Kowsky/NASA via AP)
The next total solar eclipse will unfold on Aug. 2, 2027, stretching across northern Africa and part of the Middle East. It will be the second-longest total eclipse of the 21st century, lasting up to 6 minutes and 23 seconds.
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