The 2026 total solar eclipse in photos: Best shots of the historic event from August 12

Skywatching Aug 13, 2026

BY SAUBHAGYA MUKHERJEE

People gather to watch the partial solar eclipse in Greenwich Park on August 12, 2026 in London, United Kingdom. (Cover Image Source: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

The total solar eclipse on August 12, 2026, was the first eclipse of its kind to be visible from mainland Europe since 1999. Spain, in particular, hadn't witnessed such an eclipse since 1905.

7 Photos

1 / 7

IMAGE SOURCE: JUAN MANUEL SERRANO ARCE/GETTY IMAGES

Santander, Spain

An airplane flies across the face of the Sun as the Moon starts to cover it at the beginning of the total solar eclipse on August 12.

2 / 7

IMAGE SOURCE: CHRISTOPHER FURLONG/GETTY IMAGES

Liverpool, United Kingdom

A bird flies past the partially eclipsed Sun visible over Liverpool, United Kingdom, on August 12.

3 / 7

IMAGE SOURCE: JAMES BREEDEN/GETTY IMAGES

Amposta, Spain

The fully eclipsed Sun as seen in the Ebro Delta near Amposta, Spain, on August 12.

4 / 7

IMAGE SOURCE: LEON NEAL/GETTY IMAGES

Palencia, Spain

The fully eclipsed Sun as seen over a field of sunflowers on August 12 in Palencia, Spain.

5 / 7

IMAGE SOURCE: MATT CARDY/GETTY IMAGES

Glastonbury, United Kingdom

People gather near the historic St. Michael's Church tower at the top of Glastonbury Tor to view the partial solar eclipse on August 12.

6 / 7

IMAGE SOURCE: PABLO BLAZQUEZ DOMINGUEZ/GETTY IMAGES

Guadalajara, Spain

The fully eclipsed Sun as seen behind El Toro Osborne, 'The Osborne Bull,' during the total solar eclipse on August 12 in Guadalajara, Spain.

7 / 7

IMAGE SOURCE: AP PHOTO/BERNAT ARMANGUE

Berlanga de Duero, Spain

The total solar eclipse on August 12 as seen from Berlanga de Duero, central Spain.

The 2026 total solar eclipse in photos: Best shots of the historic event from August 12

Santander, Spain

Liverpool, United Kingdom

Amposta, Spain

Palencia, Spain

Glastonbury, United Kingdom

Guadalajara, Spain

Berlanga de Duero, Spain

MORE GALLERIES

What if déjà vu is a sign we're living inside a simulation? Here's what scientists say

Harvard professor says humans could reach the Milky Way's center in just 10 years. Here's how

What if reality isn’t real? Scientists think we might be living in a computer simulation

This 'Pink Planet' was already weird, and now astronomers have found salt in its skies

How will the universe die? 5 possible ways it could all come to an end

Total solar eclipse 2026: 5 reasons why you must not miss the cosmic event on August 12

Is time travel possible? What Albert Einstein's theory of relativity tells us

Here's how much longer life on Earth has left, according to new research

This Oxford philosopher hopes humanity's search for extraterrestrial life "finds nothing"

Isaac Newton's 1704 doomsday prophecy predicted the year the world would end

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket just crashed into the Moon—but have we hit the Moon accidentally before?

Neil deGrasse Tyson thinks first contact with intelligent aliens could look like this

When Brian Cox challenged Avi Loeb's alien probe theory about comet 3I/ATLAS

Can we really time travel? Here's what award-winning physicist Brian Cox says

Wait, what's that? The strangest things ever spotted on Mars

Could our galaxy be full of aliens? The famous Drake Equation guides us towards an answer

Mars could become humanity's second home by 2050, says space resources engineer

What's really inside a black hole? Physicist Clifford Johnson explains

Could alien technology be easier to detect than extraterrestrial life itself? Scientists share their thoughts