Millions of people across Europe and North America will witness a solar eclipse on Wednesday, Aug. 12, but the event will vary greatly depending on the location. A narrow corridor stretching from Greenland to northeastern Spain will experience a total solar eclipse, much of Europe will enjoy a deep partial eclipse, and parts of North America will see a smaller partial eclipse.
Want to know what you can expect to see from where you are? Here’s an overview of the event from various locations, along with the exact viewing times for the Aug. 12 solar eclipse.
Remember, it’s important to wear certified solar eclipse glasses during all partial phases of the eclipse. Totality — when the sun’s face is completely blocked by the moon — is the only time it’s safe to remove your eclipse glasses. (It’s not too late to order last-minute eclipse glasses if you don’t have a pair on hand.)
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If you’re in the path of totality
A map of the path of totality (red) for the Aug. 12 solar eclipse.
If you’re fortunate enough to be inside the 180-mile-wide (290 kilometers) path of totality — the path of the dark shadow of the moon — in eastern Greenland, western Iceland or northeastern Spain, you’ll experience the moon completely covering the sun for up to 2 minutes, 18 seconds. The sky will darken to twilight, bright stars and planets may appear in the daytime sky, and the sun’s spectacular corona (its wispy outer atmosphere) will become visible. Here’s a handy guide to all the gear you’ll need to get the most out of totality.
The closer you are to the centerline of the path, the longer totality will last. But the most important consideration is to stay within the boundaries of the path, because it has a hard edge. Madrid, for example, is barely outside the path and will see a 99.99% partial eclipse — and no totality whatsoever. The partial phases last an hour on each side of totality.
Here’s when totality will occur in various locations for the Aug. 12 total solar eclipse:
León, Spain: 8:28 p.m. CEST (1 minute, 45 seconds)
Soria, Spain: 8:29 p.m. CEST (1 minute, 43 seconds)
S’Arenal, Mallorca, Spain: 8:31 p.m. CEST (1 minute, 36 seconds)
If you’re in North America
Viewers in North America will see a modest partial eclipse, with the biggest eclipse seen from northern and eastern Canada, Alaska and the northeastern U.S. The farther northeast you are, the deeper the eclipse will appear. Eclipse glasses are essential at every stage of the two-hour event, because there will be no totality. Here are the times of maximum eclipse in various locations:
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Iqaluit, Nunavut: 1:24 p.m. EDT (61% eclipse)
St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador: 3:00 p.m. NDT (53%)
Fairbanks, Alaska: 8:27 a.m. AKDT (37%)
Anchorage, Alaska: 8:21 a.m. AKDT (28%)
Bangor, Maine: 1:53 p.m. EDT (23%)
Quebec City: 1:46 p.m. EDT (24%)
Montreal: 1:45 p.m. EDT (18%)
Boston: 1:55 p.m. EDT (16%)
New York: 1:54 p.m. EDT (9%)
If you want to watch totality from outside the path, there are many live stream options available, including planned streams from NASA and the European Space Agency.
A deep partial eclipse will be visible in many locations throughout Europe, with a smaller eclipse visible in North America.
(Image credit: GAGAN NAYAR via Getty Images)
If you’re elsewhere in Europe and North Africa
Most of Europe and far northwestern Africa will see a spectacular deep partial eclipse, with more than 90% of the sun covered in many western cities. Although the eclipse will never become total, it will still be an impressive sight, though solar eclipse glasses will be required throughout the event. Here are the times of maximum eclipse in some major cities:
Madrid: 8:32 p.m. CEST (99.9%)
Barcelona: 8:29 p.m. CEST (99.8%)
Algiers, Algeria: 7:33 p.m. CET (96%)
Nice, France: 8:24 p.m. CEST (95%)
Lisbon, Portugal: 7:36 p.m. WEST (94%)
Dublin, Ireland: 7:10 p.m. BST (94%)
Cardiff, Wales: 7:13 p.m. BST (93%)
Belfast, Northern Ireland: 7:08 p.m. BST (93%)
Paris: 8:17 p.m. CEST (92%)
Tangier, Morocco: 7:40 p.m. WEST (92%)
London: 7:13 p.m. BST (91%)
Edinburgh, Scotland: 7:05 p.m. BST (91% eclipse)
To check exactly what you’ll see and when, enter your location on an interactive map of the eclipse, which will give you a schedule for when the eclipse begins, peaks and ends where you are.
