Skywatchers were enthralled by the 2026 total solar eclipse, marking the first occurrence over Europe in nearly thirty years.
On August 12, around one billion individuals across Europe, North Africa, North America, and the Arctic witnessed a brief period of partial or complete darkness as the moon moved directly in front of the sun, blocking its light.
The path of totality—the best vantage point for observing the solar eclipse—traveled over northern Russia, Iceland, Greenland, Spain, and sections of Portugal. Those within this path experienced striking transformations in the moments leading up to the moon’s full coverage of the sun, resulting in an artificial twilight.
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Scientific American contributor and eclipse enthusiast Lucie McCormick was stationed in Spain near Madrid. From there, she captured several breathtaking images of the total solar eclipse as it traversed the sky. In one image, the fiery red of a solar prominence is visible on the sun’s left edge—a massive, luminous structure composed of plasma and magnetic fields extending from the sun’s surface into its corona.
A view of the total solar eclipse from Spain on Aug. 12, 2026.
In the U.S., only limited partial eclipses were visible. Nonetheless, observers managed to capture the International Space Station crossing in front of the partly eclipsed sun over Maine.
The International Space Station, with a crew of seven onboard, is seen in silhouette as it transits at roughly five miles per second on August 12, 2026 across the sun, near Hodgdon, Maine.
Photo by Joel Kowsky/NASA via Getty Images
In Berlin, Germany, and London, U.K., observers saw a partial eclipse, where the moon did not entirely obscure the sun.
The partial solar eclipse is pictured on August 12, 2026 in Berlin, Germany.
Photo by Florian Gaertner/Photothek via Getty Images
In London, the eclipse was beautifully framed by Big Ben, the iconic Great Bell of the Great Clock of Westminster.
The Elizabeth Tower more commonly known as Big Ben is pictured during a near total solar eclipse, with more than 90 percent of the Sun blocked by the Moon across Britain, in central London on August 12, 2026.
Photo by Toby Shepheard / AFP via Getty Images
In Italy, AC Milan soccer players likely witnessed a pinkish crescent of the sun during a partial eclipse that occurred over their training session on a Wednesday.
Solar eclipse at Milanello after AC Milan training session on August 12, 2026 in Cairate, Italy.
Photo by Claudio Villa/AC Milan via Getty Images
As the moon positioned itself over the sun, observers might have noticed Baily’s beads—brief glimmers of sunlight peeking through the moon’s rugged surface valleys.
These beads quickly vanished as the sun’s face was fully obscured by the moon. At this moment, the sun’s faint outer atmosphere, its million-degree-Celsius corona, became visible. Typically hidden by the sun’s brightness, the ethereal corona with its delicate streams of plasma is shaped by the sun’s magnetic field.
This image captures the moment of totality from the European Space Agency’s live broadcast of the eclipse at the Astrophysical Observatory of Javalambre in Spain. The solar prominence is again visible in red.
A screenshot of the European Space Agency solar eclipse live stream showing the sun’s corona at the moment of totality.
Screenshot from YouTube/ESA
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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