A spectacular total solar eclipse will coincide with the peak of the Perseid meteor shower on Aug. 12-13. But will you be able to spot shooting stars in the false twilight of totality?

Perseids appear as Earth plows through the stream of debris shed by comet Swift-Tuttle. Up to 100 shooting stars may be seen each hour around its peak under ideal dark skies, as particles from the ancient comet collide with our atmosphere at speeds of 133,200 mph (214,365 km/h) to etch a fiery path through the summer night sky.

It's an unmissable highlight of the skywatching calendar, supercharged in 2026 by the spectacle of a total solar eclipse, which will plunge millions across Greenland, Iceland and Spain into the darkness of an eerie twilight, as the moon crosses the face of the sun.

Is it possible to see shooting stars during totality?

Yes. The most brilliant Perseid shooting stars can shine bright enough to be spotted in the brief twilight of totality. But it's all a question of timing.

"It would have to be a fireball that passed through the darkest portion of the sky," Robert Lunsford of the American Meteor Society told Space.com in an email. "The Perseids usually produce about one fireball per three hours at night. That's asking a lot for one of these bright meteors to appear during a 2-3 minute window. If anyone does see one, they had better go play the lottery asap!"

NASA Meteoroid Environments Office head Bill Cooke added his own word of caution, noting that the relatively bright sky during totality will likely hide all but the most brilliant Perseids from sight.

"Only Perseid fireballs will be visible," Cooke told Space.com in an email. "Given the brightness and duration of the eclipse, you might see one if you're extremely, extremely lucky. [The] most likely scenario is that you will see no meteors whatsoever."

The odds are definitely stacked against you. But you never know. A piece of comet Swift-Tuttle could've broken away at just the right time, at just the right point in its orbit to meet a fiery end in Earth's atmosphere, just as the sun slips from view. As for our advice? Keep your eyes locked firmly on the eclipse as it unfolds in the skies above you. There'll be plenty of time for hunting Perseids later.

Want to capture gorgeous photos of the Aug. 12 cosmic doubleheader? Then be sure to read our expert guides to imaging a total solar eclipse, along with tips on photographing fast-moving meteors. You can also stay up to date with all the latest news and reports for the field with our total solar eclipse live blog!

Editor's Note: If you would like to share your astrophotography with Space.com's readers, then please send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

The Aug. 12 total solar eclipse is just one day away! Here's how you can watch the entire show live online from the comfort of your home

Millions of people across Spain, Iceland and Greenland will see the moon completely hide the sun during the climactic phase of totality on Aug. 12. Countless more skywatchers across Europe will witness a deep partial solar eclipse, as the moon's curved silhouette covers a swathe of the sun's surface, while failing to cover it entirely.

Thankfully, we live in modern times. So there's no need for you to miss out on the solar spectacle if you find yourself outside of the path of totality, or if clouds conspire to ruin your view. Here's where to watch every phase of the 2026 total solar eclipse live online.

NASA

NASA will be hosting its own livestream of the event starting at 1:15 p.m. EDT on Aug. 12, featuring live views of totality from cameras spread throughout the path of the eclipse. The visuals will be accompanied by information on the science of the incredible event and details on how the agency is working to learn more about our sun.

The NASA coverage will be hosted here on Space.com, but can also be streamed through YouTube, Twitch, NASA+, Facebook, Instagram and Amazon Prime.

Time and Date

Time and Date's YouTube livestream kicks off at 12 p.m. EDT (1700 GMT) on Aug. 12, bringing live views of the eclipse from Leon in northwestern Spain and the island of Mallorca, along with live commentary from journalist Anne Buckle and astrophysicist Graham Jones.

The European Space Agency

An official European Space Agency (ESA) livestream will begin at 1:30 p.m. EDT (1730 GMT) on Aug. 12. The stream will feature expert commentary on the science of the eclipse along with live views from telescopes at the Observatorio Astrofisco de Javalambre, which is located close to the Spanish city of Teruel directly in the path of totality.

Royal Observatory Greenwich

London's historic Royal Observatory Greenwich will host two simultaneous YouTube streams featuring live views of the partial solar eclipse starting at 1:15 p.m EDT (1815 GMT) on Aug. 12. The first livestream will be presented by Royal Observatory astronomer Greg Brown, who will discuss the science of the sun while providing expert commentary on the eclipse, while the second will offer a silent livestream, featuring visuals of the eclipse with no accompanying audio.

The Virtual Telescope Project

The Virtual Telescope Project livestream begins at 1:20 p.m. EDT (1720 GMT) on Aug. 12, bringing real-time views from the organization's robotic telescopes in Manciano, Italy, where a partial eclipse will be visible and from the path of totality in Spain. The Virtual Telescope Project will host a separate livestream a few hours later featuring views of the Perseid meteor shower peak, which occurs overnight on Aug. 12-13.

Be sure to check out our live blog for all of the latest news on the Aug. 12 total solar eclipse. We'll also have reports from Skywatching Writer Anthony Wood as he watches the eclipse unfold low in the horizon in central Spain, and also from Skywatching Editor Daisy Dobrijevic as she witnesses the spectacle during a voyage with HX Expeditions to Greenland!

Editor's Note: If you would like to share your eclipse photos with Space.com's readers, then please send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

Originally launched a decade ago, the ZWO ASI174MM is a planetary astrophotography camera — something you insert into the eyepiece of a telescope to take images and video of deep-sky objects, planets, the moon and the sun. This one is very much geared towards the latter, with solar and lunar imaging its goal.

At first glance, the specification looks simple: a 2.3MP monochrome Sony IMX174 sensor, 5.86µm pixels, USB 3.0 connectivity and a compact red aluminum body. The important details are the sensor size, speed and global shutter. For lunar and solar imaging, where you often want to capture large areas in high frame rate videos and freeze split-seconds of steady “seeing” — when turbulence in Earth’s atmosphere doesn’t degrade an image of an astronomical object — those traits matter more than headline megapixels.

The ASI174MM is especially attractive for solar imaging with an H-alpha telescope — a filter that blocks all wavelengths of light other than H-alpha, which is emitted by hydrogen atoms. That’s because its 5.86 μm pixels match the focal ratios typical of solar telescopes, yielding sharp, efficient detail. Its relatively large sensor can cover more of the solar disc than many small planetary cameras, while its high frame rate supports the usual lucky-imaging workflow of capturing video, selecting the best frames and stacking them for sharper images.

ZWO ASI174MM astronomy camera: Design

• Compact aluminum camera body
• USB 3.0 and ST4 guide port included
• Useful adapter bundle

The ZWO ASI174MM has a compact, lightweight and practical design that’s ideal for use as a camera attached to a telescope. Its small cylindrical aluminum body adds very little strain to a focuser, solar diagonal or off-axis guider, which is particularly useful when working with solar telescopes.

Usefully, the camera includes a high-speed USB 3.0 connection, which is important because the ASI174MM’s main strength is capturing and transferring many video frames very quickly. It can also be used over USB 2.0, but doing so gives up much of the performance that makes the camera appealing in the first place.

An ST4 guide port adds extra flexibility. Although the ASI174MM is primarily sold as a planetary camera, it can also be used as a guide camera (mounted on top of a main imaging scope to capture a wide field of view), especially with off-axis guiders (a device that sits between a main camera and the telescope to precisely track stars), where the larger sensor helps find guide stars more easily than smaller-chip models.

ZWO ASI174MM astronomy camera: Performance

• Excellent for solar and lunar video capture
• Global shutter is a real advantage
• Large pixels favor longer focal lengths

The ASI174MM’s combination of a relatively large 1/1.2-inch sensor, 5.86µm pixels, and fast video capture makes it particularly well-suited to imaging the sun and moon. Compared with planetary cameras built around smaller sensors, it records a considerably larger area of the telescope’s field of view, reducing the number of panels needed for mosaics and making it easier to locate and frame a target.

That larger sensor is especially useful for solar imaging, which is what we tested it with. The exact field of view depends on the telescope’s focal length, but the ASI174MM can capture larger active regions — and, with some setups, most or all of the solar disc — without immediately requiring a mosaic. For example, we tested it with the Sky-Watcher Heliostar 76Ha solar telescope, for which it is a natural match, where prominences, filaments, sunspots and rapidly changing structures on the solar surface need to be recorded at high speed.

The camera’s global shutter is another advantage for solar imagers. A rolling shutter (the standard choice for deep-sky imaging) records an image progressively, one row of pixels at a time, to produce a low-noise, high-dynamic-range image. However, atmospheric turbulence, which slightly shifts the image, can cause distortion. A global shutter exposes the entire sensor simultaneously, helping the ASI174MM preserve the shape of solar and lunar features more accurately from frame to frame.

High-speed capture also supports lucky imaging. Instead of trying to produce one perfect exposure, the camera records thousands of short exposures in rapid succession. Software then identifies and stacks the sharpest frames — the brief instants when Earth’s turbulent atmosphere becomes relatively steady.

While it’s ideal for solar imaging, the ASI174MM is much less convincing as a conventional deep-sky camera. Long exposures can reveal pronounced amp glow towards one side of the frame, while the uncooled sensor becomes increasingly noisy as exposure times increase. Calibration with dark frames can reduce these effects, but it adds complexity and cannot turn the ASI174MM into a modern cooled deep-sky camera. It can be used for short-exposure imaging, guiding and some specialist applications, but solar, lunar and planetary video remain its natural strengths.

ZWO ASI174MM astronomy camera: Functionality

• Captures good data
• ZWO software works well
• Little guidance available

The ASI174MM fits neatly into the established workflow for solar, lunar and planetary imaging: capture a high-speed video, identify the sharpest frames, align and stack them, then sharpen and process the image. Its fast USB 3.0 connection enables high data transfer rates, while region-of-interest controls allow the user to record only a selected portion of the sensor. Reducing the size of the recorded area can substantially increase the frame rate, which is particularly useful when imaging an individual sunspot.

Several free applications can control the camera and record these videos, including SharpCap and FireCapture. AutoStakkert! is widely used to analyze, align and stack solar, lunar and planetary frames, while programs such as ImPPG, RegiStax, Siril, Adobe Photoshop and GIMP can be used for sharpening, contrast adjustment and final processing. Windows users have the widest choice of third-party astronomy software.

However, ZWO also provides its own free ASIStudio software suite. For the ASI174MM, the most relevant applications are ASICap, which controls the camera and records lossless SER or AVI video, and ASIVideoStack, which analyses and stacks the resulting frames (and can also be used for post-processing). ASIStudio is available for both Windows and macOS.

The basic capture process is straightforward. After connecting the ASI174MM to ASICap, exposure time and gain are adjusted until the brightest areas of the sun or moon remain below saturation. Because this is a monochrome camera, the live view can be shown either in grayscale or with false color applied for easier viewing. A video containing around 1,000 to 3,000 frames is then recorded, though the ideal number depends on the target, seeing conditions and available storage.

Storage requirements are significant. Uncompressed high-frame-rate video from the full sensor can consume several gigabytes in a matter of seconds, so a fast computer, a USB 3.0 connection and plenty of free drive space are essential.

Once a video is loaded into ASIVideoStack, the software can assess frame quality, align the image and combine a chosen percentage of the sharpest frames. The finished stack can be exported in formats including JPEG and FITS. JPEG is convenient for immediate sharing, but FITS preserves more of the original image data and is better suited to serious post-processing.

The workflow is functional rather than polished. There is relatively little guidance for beginners and obtaining the best results requires experimentation with exposure, gain, frame rate, focus, stacking percentages and sharpening settings. It can take many attempts to determine which combination works best with a particular telescope and observing conditions. For that reason, it’s wise to archive the video files, which can be revisited and processed later as processing skills/software improves.

How we tested the ZWO ASI174MM

We tested the ZWO ASI174MM planetary camera for two weeks and used it in conjunction with the Skywatcher HelioStar 76mm solar telescope and Solar Quest mount to image the sun in H-Alpha (Hα).

Should I buy the ZWO ASI174MM?

Buy the ZWO ASI174MM if your main targets are the sun and moon, especially if you want a monochrome camera with a larger-than-average sensor, fast frame rates and a global shutter. It remains particularly suited for H-alpha solar imaging, where monochrome capture, speed and sensor area matter.

If this product isn’t for you

If you want a cheaper first planetary camera, a smaller-sensor ZWO ASI120-series-style camera may be enough for basic lunar, planetary and guiding use, though it will not offer the same field of view.

If you want a more modern planetary camera, look at newer monochrome planetary models like the ZWO ASI585MM with lower read noise, smaller pixels or higher resolution, depending on your telescope’s focal length.

If your goal is deep-sky imaging, a cooled astronomy camera is a better choice than the ASI174MM. We have reviewed the ZWO ASI533MC Pro and the ASI183MC Pro and gave both of them nothing less than four and a half stars for beautiful deep-sky astrophotography.

On Aug. 12, 2026, a total solar eclipse will sweep across Earth, giving skywatchers across Greenland, Iceland and northern Spain an incredible view of totality. As the moon completely covers the sun, day will briefly turn to twilight, revealing the sun's faint outer atmosphere, the corona. But could totality reveal something else too?

Although totality never produces true nighttime darkness, it does briefly dim the sky to roughly the brightness of twilight. Since eclipse chasers in Greenland and Iceland will be in the auroral zone — the geographic zone around Earth's magnetic pole where auroras are most frequently seen — it's natural to wonder whether the two phenomena could appear together.

The answer is yes — but only if everything falls perfectly into place.

"During totality, the sky brightness is comparable to civil twilight (the first period of darkness after sunset, until the sun reaches six degrees below the observer's horizon). It's uncommon to see auroras during this time, but by no means impossible," Tom Kerss, independent astronomer and Chief Aurora Chaser for tour company Hurtigruten, told Space.com in an email.

Kerss knows this from experience. Last year, he photographed the northern lights in Norway at twilight, demonstrating that sufficiently bright auroras can remain visible even before the sky becomes fully dark.

However, the aurora's position in the sky would impact its visibility.

"During totality in August, the surface brightness of the sun's corona would almost certainly outshine auroras in its vicinity, but other parts of the sky away from the eclipse could host visible auroral structures," said Kerss.

So while it's physically possible, how likely is it?

Not very.

"If the auroral activity stays quiet, we wouldn't expect to see it during totality even though we know some energy is probably being emitted in the dayside portion of the oval," Kerss said.

To have any realistic chance of seeing the northern lights during the eclipse, Earth would need to be in the grip of a severe geomagnetic storm. These storms occur when eruptions from the sun, such as coronal mass ejections (CMEs), slam into Earth's magnetic field. During such conditions, auroras can get a dramatic boost, appearing brighter and more widespread than usual.

Kerss explained that observers would almost certainly need a G4 or G5 geomagnetic storm (G5 is the most powerful category) to overlap with the eclipse to have any realistic chance of seeing an aurora show because they will be on Earth's dayside.

"Bright, nightside aurora can be driven by powerful substorm activity, in which energy is stored and released," Kerss explained. "The dayside aurora is driven by a combination of favorably aligned solar wind (which opens the field lines around the Earth's polar cusps) and strong precipitation directly into the auroral oval. This latter requirement is contingent on very strong or extreme geomagnetic activity."

Kerss' thoughts are echoed by Pål Brekke, a solar physicist and northern lights expert working as Lead of Space Science at the Norwegian Space Agency.

Brekke knows just how difficult this is. He attempted to spot auroras during the 2015 total solar eclipse over Svalbard but found the sky never got dark enough.

"The sky never got that dark — we could hardly see any planets and no stars," Brekke told Space.com in an email. "Most probably because the snow-covered valley and mountains reflecting lights leaking in from the side of the moon's shadow. Making the sky too bright even during the eclipse."

Brekke also pointed out that the timings work against eclipse chasers. Totality occurs in the afternoon over Greenland and Iceland, meaning observers will be beneath the daytime portion of the auroral oval. Unlike the nighttime aurora oval, which expands dramatically during geomagnetic storms, the dayside auroral oval changes much less, making displays harder to see even during active space weather.

"The chance for aurora over Spain is very low — that would need a KP=9 or so — and 20:00 [UTC] is still very early so the fattest part of the oval is still not over Spain at that time. So our guess is it will not be very likely," said Brekke.

There is one scenario, however, that could make eclipse day even more extraordinary.

"If the sun launches CMEs in the days before the eclipse, it'll be very exciting for anyone going to Iceland or Greenland, and since the exceptional Perseid Meteor Shower will also peak on that date, there's a rare opportunity to see three of the sky's greatest wonders together if conditions line up," said Kerss.

The odds may be slim, but they're not zero.

If the sun happens to unleash a powerful geomagnetic storm in the days leading up to Aug. 12, eclipse chasers in Greenland or Iceland could witness something truly remarkable.

If not, don't be too disappointed. During totality, the sun itself puts on one of nature's greatest spectacles — and that's where your attention should be.

If you're planning to watch the total solar eclipse on Aug. 12, knowing exactly when to look up is crucial.

While totality will be visible from parts of Greenland, Iceland and Spain, millions more people across Europe will experience a dramatic partial solar eclipse. Whether you're chasing the moon's shadow in Reykjavik or watching the moon take a 'bite' out of the sun from London, Paris, or Berlin, timing is everything.

You can keep up with the latest total solar eclipse news and coverage with our total solar eclipse live blog.

Total solar eclipse timings

Partial solar eclipse timings for major cities

Looking for your own eclipse time? The interactive map and resources from Time and Date let you search by city and view detailed timing information for every stage of the eclipse.

What is a total solar eclipse?

A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon moves directly between Earth and the sun, completely blocking the sun's disk from view.

During totality, the sky darkens significantly, temperatures drop and bright stars and planets can even become visible. Observers can also catch a glimpse of the sun's outer atmosphere, known as the corona, glowing around the silhouetted moon.

Totality — when the sun is completely obscured — is only visible within the narrow path of the moon's shadow. Outside that path, observers may see a partial solar eclipse, whereby only a portion of the sun is covered.

REMEMBER to NEVER look directly at the sun. To view this solar eclipse safely, you must use solar filters. Only during the brief period of totality when the moon completely covers the sun, is it safe to look at the sun without protection. Observers will need to wear solar eclipse glasses, and cameras, telescopes and binoculars must have solar filters placed in front of their lenses at all other times.

Our how to observe the sun safely guide tells you everything you need to know about safe solar observations.

After this, when is the next solar eclipse?

After the total solar eclipse on Aug. 12, 2026, the next solar eclipse will be an annular solar eclipse on Feb. 6, 2027 visible across parts of Africa and South America. The next total solar eclipse will be a spectacular event on Aug. 2, 2027. Visible across North Africa, it will be the longest totality on land since 1991.

Every total solar eclipse is different. While the silhouette of the moon passing across the sun barely changes, the moment our natural satellite covers the entire solar disk, something spectacular happens — the emergence of the corona. The Latin word for "crown", the solar corona is one of the wonders of nature. To gaze upon its delicate, spiky white tendrils during brief moments of totality is to glimpse the infinite, but it's only a glimpse because the corona is always changing. Shaped by the sun's constantly changing magnetic field, the corona evolves from year to year, month to month and even day to day. No two total eclipses ever reveal exactly the same structure.

It's one reason why eclipse chasers keep traveling. The corona visible during the total solar eclipse of Aug. 12, 2026 — if skies are clear — will be a unique snapshot of the sun at a specific moment in Solar Cycle 25. It will reflect years of changing magnetic activity, thousands of sunspots and countless eruptions of solar material.

Once totality ends, that exact configuration of the corona will never be seen again. Can we know in advance what it might look like?

The sun's hidden atmosphere

Under normal circumstances, the sun's corona — our star's outer atmosphere — is invisible. It extends millions of miles into the solar system, but it's overwhelmed by the brilliant light of the sun's photosphere, its visible surface. Totality changes that. When the moon completely covers the photosphere, the corona suddenly emerges. White streamers extend away from the black silhouette of the moon. Pink loops and prominences can appear around the edge of the moon.

For many first-time observers, the greatest surprise during totality is not only the detail but the scale. The corona often appears much larger than expected, extending several solar diameters away from the eclipsed sun. Photographs can capture some of that complexity, but they rarely reproduce the impression of depth and structure visible to the human eye, whose dynamic range is vastly superior to any camera.

Why every corona looks different

The corona is not a fixed object. It is created by extremely hot plasma — highly energized, ionized gas — that's trapped and sculpted by the sun's magnetic field. Since the sun's magnetic field is constantly changing, the corona changes with it.

"The sun follows a natural 11-year cycle of increasing and decreasing activity," Ryan French, solar physicist, author and science communicator at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) in Boulder, Colorado, and author of Little Book of Eclipses: An Essential Companion to Solar and Lunar Events told Space.com in an email. "At the peak of this cycle, called solar maximum, there are loads of sunspots on the sun, which are giant magnets nestled in the base of the sun's atmosphere. These sunspots produce a lot of solar flares and coronal mass ejections, which are kind of bursts and eruptions of energy from the sun's atmosphere, and at solar minimum, the sun has none of these things."

That magnetic activity determines the overall shape of the corona. During solar minimum, when the sun has few or no sunspots, the corona tends to look more uniform and more symmetrical. Long streamers often stretch from either side of the sun, giving the corona a wing-like appearance. During solar maximum, it can look much more complex. Sunspot regions act like magnetic anchors, creating structures that can appear as spikes or streamers extending in different directions.

"If you were to see a total eclipse during solar maximum, the solar corona looks almost like a five-pointed cartoon star," said French. "That's because every one of these sunspot regions creates a spire or spike that you can see with the eye."

Not solar maximum — but not quiet

The 2026 eclipse will not occur at solar maximum. Solar Cycle 25 peaked in October 2024, according to NASA and NOAA, with the Aug. 12, 2026 eclipse occurring almost two years later, during the cycle's declining phase. However, solar activity does not collapse immediately after solar maximum. It declines gradually, and the sun is expected to remain more active than it was in the lead-up to solar maximum.

"We're no longer in solar maximum — we're a third of the way past the peak in terms of amplitude and years passed," said French. "The corona will still be far more active than during the 2017, 2019 and 2020 total solar eclipses, but much less so than 2024's."

That makes the 2026 eclipse especially interesting. It likely won't show the full, highly structured corona seen close to the peak of activity in 2024, when the April 8 total solar eclipse occurred with a monthly sunspot number of about 144. Current predictions for August 2026 are closer to 102; far fewer, but still considered active by recent-cycle standards.

That means eclipse-watchers should expect something between extremes: not the clean, flattened corona of solar minimum, but not quite the wildest solar-maximum display either.

A comparison with past eclipses

A useful comparison may be the total solar eclipses near the previous solar maximum. Solar Cycle 24, which peaked in April 2014, was relatively weak. The closest total solar eclipses to that peak were the rare hybrid eclipse of Nov. 3, 2013, when the monthly sunspot number was around 113. By contrast, Solar Cycle 23, which had a double peak — in March 2000 and November 2001 — was relatively strong. The closest total solar eclipse occurred on June 21, 2001, with a monthly sunspot number of around 203. Its corona was likely more complex than expected in 2026.

The 2026 eclipse therefore sits in a middle category. It's not a repeat of 2024, but it's not a quiet-sun eclipse either. An active declining-phase corona, it will likely feature strong streamers extending far into space, but with greater asymmetry, with one side of the corona more active. "It's sunspots specifically near the edge of the sun that dictate what the corona will look like," said French. The sun rotates every 27 days, so any large active region of sunspots rotating onto the sun's edge shortly before Aug. 12 could alter the corona's appearance dramatically. It's why any forecasts of what the corona looks like — which often come from Predictive Science a week before the eclipse — are generally refined on the day of the eclipse.

Red prominences may steal the show

One of the most memorable sights during totality is the appearance of vivid pink or crimson features around the moon's edge. These are usually prominences — immense structures of hydrogen plasma suspended above the sun's surface by magnetic fields. They're often mistaken for solar flares by beginners, such as after the 2024 total solar eclipse.

"Prominences are large magnetic structures that suspend plasma in the atmosphere of the sun, and they glow very bright in a very specific wavelength of light called hydrogen alpha," said French. Prominences are more likely when the sun is active, and because they can last for days or weeks, they are easier to anticipate than a flare. In hydrogen-alpha images taken before eclipse day, observers may be able to see which prominences are present around the solar edge.

The 2026 eclipse may have favorable geometry for sighting prominences. Because the moon will appear only slightly larger than the sun — which contributed to the relatively short duration of totality, at a maximum of just 2 minutes 18 seconds — smaller prominences on different sides of the sun could be visible at the same time. That is different from longer eclipses, where the larger apparent moon can cover prominences on one side before revealing others on the opposite side.

Could a CME be visible?

A coronal mass ejection (CME) is an eruption of plasma and magnetic field from the sun's atmosphere. Seeing one during totality is possible — it happened during the total solar eclipse on Dec. 14, 2020 — but requires luck. "CMEs travel very slowly, so they take several hours to traverse and escape from the sun's atmosphere, so you wouldn't see any motion during an eclipse," said French. "But what you could see, if you're lucky, is a snapshot of an eruption — though maybe a long exposure camera will be more likely to see this than your eye would." Such a view would be rare, but the chances are higher in an active solar environment than near solar minimum.

Predicting the corona yourself

There will be a forecast from Predictive Science, which can be so accurate that some eclipse chasers avoid it, so as not to ruin the surprise of totality. One way to get a general idea is to look at real-time images from telescopes that use coronagraphs to block the sun, such as the COSMO K-Coronagraph, NASA SOHO's LASCO C3 and the GOES CCOR-1. For sunspots, check the latest H-Alpha image from the Global Oscillation Network Group (GONG).

No scientist can say exactly what the corona will look like on Aug. 12, 2026. That will depend on the sun's magnetic activity in the days immediately before totality, the location of sunspot groups, the presence of prominences and the possibility of eruptions. "What exactly we see during the August eclipse will depend on what the activity is that week," said French. "And even if you saw an eclipse a month before or a month after, it could be very different." For a few fleeting minutes over Greenland, Iceland, Spain and the Balearic Islands, the sun's hidden atmosphere will become momentarily visible before vanishing back into the glare, never being seen again in quite the same way.

We're just a few short days away from the Aug. 12 total solar eclipse, when millions will watch as the moon glides across the face of the sun, hiding its light in a wondrous display of orbital mechanics.

The eclipse will unfold during August's new moon phase, as the lunar disk slips silently between the sun and Earth in the daytime sky. Ordinarily, the subtle tilt in the moon's orbit causes its shadow to pass just below, or above our planet, missing it entirely.

However, on Aug. 12, the moon's orbit will carry it into a near-perfect alignment with the sun and Earth, casting its colossal shadow across a 182-mile-wide corridor known as the path of totality, where viewers will get to see the lunar disk fully hide the sun's disk.

The path of totality for the Aug. 12 eclipse cuts through Spain, Iceland and Greenland. Hundreds of millions more watching from outside of this narrow corridor will also bear witness to a spectacular partial solar eclipse, as the moon passes in front of our parent star, without fully obscuring its surface. Those unable to watch the eclipse in person by dint of geography can also follow along online, with details of the livestream to be released closer to the event.

Read on to discover what will happen during each stage of the Aug. 12 total solar eclipse.

Stage 1: The partial eclipse begins

The partial phase of the eclipse officially begins at the moment of "first contact", when the lunar disk takes its first nibble out of the sun — a subtle transformation that will first become visible in the skies over the U.S. state of Alaska at 11:34 a.m. EDT (1534 GMT) on Aug. 12.

You can check out exactly when the partial eclipse will begin from your location and find out exactly how much of the sun will be hidden by the moon using Time and Date's interactive eclipse tracker.

The hour and a half following first contact will see the moon sink ever farther into the sun's disk for those in the path of totality, transforming it from a burning orb into a magnificent shining crescent.

You may notice the temperature drop noticeably, accompanied by a subtle darkening of the sky in the half hour preceding the climactic phase of totality, as the moon reduces the sun to a thin sickle in the evening sky. Pinpricks of light — such as those that shine through a colander, or the gaps in a leaf — will also appear to mirror the scene above, creating a kaleidoscope of tiny bright crescents.

Remember, staring at the sun for even the briefest of moments can lead to permanent loss of vision, so be sure to read our guide on how to view the sun safely and to wear your eclipse glasses or sunoculars during the entirety of the partial phases of the eclipse. You can read our roundup of the best solar viewing equipment to find out more, along with our tips on how to check the quality and condition of your eclipse glasses.

Stage 2: Second contact

Some of the most spectacular moments of an eclipse occur just before and after totality. First, look out for the "diamond ring" effect, as the last sliver of the sun peeks out from behind the lunar disk to appear as a gorgeous celestial jewel, while the outermost layer of our star's atmosphere, the corona, creates a glowing halo around the moon.

Tear your eyes away from the sun for just a second and you may just catch sight of the moon's shadow advancing on you from the west, before it engulfs your surroundings in a false night.

The final seconds before totality will see bright "Baily's Beads" form dazzling points of light on the moon's edge, where the last shreds of the sun's disk shine through the ravines and valleys that scar the ancient lunar surface.

Stage 3: Totality & maximum eclipse

As the last of the sun's surface slips behind the moon, totality begins. This is the climactic phase of the eclipse, when the moon acts like a natural coronagraph to block the brilliance of the sun's disk, ushering in a false night in which our star's outer atmosphere can be seen leaping out from the lunar silhouette.

Totality will last a maximum of 2 minutes, 18 seconds, during which time it's safe to remove your glasses and look at the sun. Just be sure to put them on again before its fiery disk reemerges from the other side of the lunar disk.

That white halo surrounding Earth's natural satellite is the sun's corona — a jacket of superheated gas that surrounds our parent star. Look out for glowing solar prominences leaping outward through the sun's atmosphere, along with the red line of the chromosphere — the layer of the sun's atmosphere beneath the corona — which appears fleetingly at the beginning and end of totality, according to NASA.

The point of maximum eclipse occurs roughly halfway through totality, when the sun's disk is most hidden by the moon.

Eagle-eyed skywatchers may catch Jupiter and Mercury shining to the lower right of the eclipsed sun in the faux twilight experienced during totality, while Venus will appear as a bright star-like object to its upper left. If you're incredibly lucky, you could even spot one of the brightest shooting stars or fireballs of the Perseid meteor shower, which comes to a peak around the same time as the Aug. 12 total eclipse.

Stage 4:Totality ends

The fourth stage of the eclipse comes as the very edge of the sun's disk emerges from behind the moon, marking the end of totality as Bail's Beads and the diamond ring effect play out in reverse, before giving way to an ever-thickening solar crescent.

Stage 5: The partial eclipse ends.

The waning partial eclipse will come to a global end at 3:57 p.m. EDT (1957 GMT), as the moon's silhouette exits the sun's disk in the skies off the west coast of Africa — a moment known to astronomers as fourth contact.

Space.com is on hand to provide expert coverage and on the ground reporting as the eclipse unfolds. Skywatching Editor Daisy Dobrijevic is undertaking an expedition with HX to observe the total solar eclipse from the waters around Greenland, while Skywatching Writer Anthony Wood heads to Spain in a cowboy hat, to catch the orbital showdown with citizen scientists from NASA's Dynamic Eclipse Broadcast Initiative.

Be sure to check out our total eclipse live blog to stay up to date with all the latest news, along with our handy explainer article detailing everything you need to know about the Aug. 12 total solar eclipse.

If photography is your thing then why not read our guide to imaging the total solar eclipse, along with our roundup of the best cameras and lenses for astrophotography? You'll also want to peruse our picks for the best eclipse glasses and viewing gear available in 2026.

Editor's Note: If you capture footage of the Aug. 12 total solar eclipse and want to share it with Space.com's readers, then please send your photo(s), comments, name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

Early risers will catch a spectacular sight in the predawn hours of Aug. 9, as the slender crescent moon shines close to the red light of Mars among the stars of the constellation Taurus.

The 17%-lit crescent moon will rise around four hours before sunrise, or shortly after 2 a.m. for viewers in New York. The Red Planet will be visible as a steady crimson light less than 5 degrees to the lower right of the moon — close enough to share the field of view of a pair of 10x50 binoculars.

Both Mars and the moon will appear to race one another over the eastern horizon in the hours that follow, with the Red Planet gaining a slight lead over its competitor as dawn breaks.

The stars of the constellation Orion will glitter to the right of the pair throughout the race, while the Bull of Taurus watches on from above and Gemini watches from below, giving us a sneak peak at the starscape that will shine high overhead in the long winter nights a few months from now.

Look out for the subtle glow of earthshine illuminating the night side of the moon on Aug. 9, as sunlight scattered off our planet's surface and atmosphere reflects onto the nearby lunar disk, revealing the ghostly outlines of its dark lunar seas.

It's one of the last chances we'll get to gaze at Earth's satellite ahead of its new moon phase on Aug. 12, when it will cross the face of the sun in the daytime sky to trigger a spectacular total solar eclipse, which will be visible across parts of Greenland, Iceland and Spain.

Be sure to read our explainer article to discover everything you need to know about the Aug. 12 total solar eclipse. We'll also be bringing you live reports of totality as the moon's shadow sweeps over Greenland, where skywatching editor Daisy Dobrijevic will be watching from the deck of a HX Expeditions cruise ship. Skywatching writer Anthony Wood will also be observing from central Spain, where he's embedded with a group of citizen scientists from the Dynamic Eclipse Broadcast initiative.

Editor's Note: If you would like to share your astrophotography with Space.com's readers, then please send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

It's hardly a "Great American Eclipse," but on Aug. 12, 2026, some parts of the North American continent will see a partial solar eclipse.

Will it be as impressive as on April 8, 2024, when totality visited Mexico, 15 U.S. states and six provinces in Canada? No, yet in some parts of the U.S. and Canada, astronomers will be out in force to capture a significant chunk of the sun as it is obscured by the new moon.

The spotlight may be on the total solar eclipse in Greenland, Iceland, and Spain, but millions across North America can still see the moon take a bite out of the sun on Aug. 12. The farther northeast you are, the deeper the eclipse. Here's everything you need to know about the partial solar eclipse in North America.

During a partial solar eclipse, it is NEVER safe to look directly at the sun without solar eclipse glasses designed for solar viewing. Read our guide on how to observe the sun safely.

Where to see the partial solar eclipse in the U.S.

Between 7:34 a.m. AKDT and 2:52 p.m. EDT, 20 U.S. states will see something of the partial solar eclipse, though only northeastern states will get a good view. Here's a sample of locations and the time of maximum eclipse. Note that the partial eclipse begins (first contact) and ends (last contact) around 55 minutes before and after the time of maximum eclipse given here.

Where to see the partial solar eclipse in Canada

Between 8:38 a.m. MST and 4:38 p.m. NDT on Aug. 12, every province in Canada will be able to see some kind of partial solar eclipse, but those in the east of the country will see something much more significant. Here's a sample of locations and the time of maximum eclipse. Note that the partial eclipse begins (first contact) and ends (last contact) around 55 minutes before and after the time of maximum eclipse given here.

What to expect

This is a small partial solar eclipse in North America, which occurs at lunchtime. In the east of the continent, it will occur high in the sky — about two-thirds of the way between the horizon and the zenith — in the south-southwest. At maximum eclipse, the partially eclipsed sun with resemble a thick crescent or a smile. It won't get dark — that only happens within the path of totality — nor will daylight be affected.

Those using a telescope to observe or image the partial eclipse (using a solar filter) should also consider that Venus — which will be visible just after sunset — reaches dichotomy on Aug. 12. This is the point in its current apparition as the "Evening Star" that it starts becoming interesting in a telescope. Dichotomy sees it reduce to 50%-lit and gradually become an ever-shrinking crescent.

Perhaps more importantly, the early hours of Aug. 13 see the peak of the annual Perseid meteor shower.

When is the next solar eclipse visible from the US after August 2026?

The next solar eclipse on Aug. 2, 2027, will be seen in Newfoundland, Canada, where a 23% partial eclipse will occur at the province's southwestern tip.

On Jan. 26, 2028, during an annular solar eclipse across northern South America, eastern U.S. states and eastern Canada will see a very small partial solar eclipse shortly after sunrise. Florida will have the best view, with around 15% of the sun blocked.

On Jan. 14, 2029, a large partial solar eclipse will be seen in the morning sky across all of North America — up to 81% in northern Canada and 74% in northwestern U.S. states. On June 12, 2029, a smaller partial solar eclipse will peak at 34% just after sunrise from Nunavut, the Northwest Territories and the northern tips of Alberta and British Columbia.

Finding the sun sounds easy, right? Many people think of the sun as big and bright, but it’s actually rather small in the sky — it’s got an angular diameter of just half a degree, in fact, the same as the moon. Put an all-important solar filter on a telescope, and you’re left with the challenge of finding a tiny orange or white circle in a sea of black. Even if you manage to find the sun, nudging a solar telescope back into position every few minutes to keep it in the field of view quickly gets irritating.

Cue the Sky-Watcher SolarQuest mount, a simple grab-and-go product that exists to solve exactly that problem. Costing around $585/£259-£359 (the latter with a tripod), it is not a general Go-To astronomy mount and it is not trying to be one. It is best understood as a dedicated solar tracking platform for small solar telescopes. That could range from regular telescopes wearing solar filters, most likely during a solar eclipse, to dedicated solar telescopes such as white-light-filtered refractors and H-alpha (Hydrogen-alpha) telescopes designed specifically for viewing the sun.

Sky-Watcher SolarQuest mount head: Design

• Lightweight and compact mount head
• Simple controls make it beginner-friendly
• Vixen-style saddle suits small solar scopes

The SolarQuest mount head weighs just 2.9 lbs/1.3 kg, accepts standard 45mm Sky-Watcher/Vixen-style dovetails and can be fitted to a tripod using a 3/8-inch screw. Meanwhile, the optional tripod is lightweight and easily adjustable, with a bubble level and accessory tray. Whatever tripod you use, it’s imperative to get it stable before using the SolarQuest because its ability to track the sun successfully depends on it.

With the optional aluminum tripod — which we used in our review — the total setup is still only around 9.9 lbs/4.05 kg, making it easy to set up inside and carry into the garden. Eclipse chasers travelling abroad will easily be able to store it in a carry-on camera bag.

The mount itself has very few controls: A power button and an 8-way sliding switch. A long press of the power button finds the sun, with the second used to make manual adjustments. There are no menus and no alignment tasks.

Sky-Watcher SolarQuest mount head: Performance

• Finds the sun automatically in clear conditions
• Fine-tuning controls keep the sun centered
• Works well with solar telescopes

At first glance, the promise of the Sky-Watcher SolarQuest mount head is so simple: you level the tripod using its built-in bubble or spirit level and point the attached telescope somewhere to the left of the sun. You then long-press the power button and step back. The built-in GPS calculates the date, time, and location, as well as the sun’s altitude and azimuth. The mount levels the telescope, pauses, then slews to the right altitude. Then its photodiode solar sensor (a small camera) hunts for the solar disc and locks on. In practice, the system gets impressively close to that ideal — but with some small caveats.

The sun needs to be in a clear sky, but it doesn’t have to be high. We reviewed the SolarQuest during a summer heatwave, when getting up very early was the only sensible way to observe the sun. Having got up early to take advantage of the cool morning air before the sun rose too high, we feared the SolarQuest would fail to find such a low sun. Luckily, there were no such issues, with SolarQuest taking just under 60 seconds to be perfectly aligned with the sun.

For visual observing, that’s transformative. Instead of spending the first part of a session aligning, shadow-aiming and nudging a scope into position, you can be looking at the sun within minutes. However, we did have to use the joypad on the SolarQuest to center the sun. Happily, the controls are very sensitive and move slowly, so we were able to have a perfect view of the sun in under two minutes from pressing the power-on button. That’s impressive.

Sky-Watcher SolarQuest mount head: Functionality

• Accurately tracks the sun
• 8x AA batteries are old-fashioned
• Payload is a limiting factor

Tracking accuracy is very good, with a tiny adjustment on the joypad required perhaps every few hours. Since it largely follows the sun’s path through the sky, it should be suitable for a total or deep partial solar eclipse, when a crescent sun could confuse the sensor (to be sure, you could cover the sensor during totality so it doesn’t hunt for the sun and try to realign during an eclipsed crescent sun).

However accurate it is, this is an alt-az mount. It can track the sun well but it cannot remove field rotation during much longer imaging sessions. For visual use and almost all solar use — including casual video capture — that is not a major issue. However, for long-duration solar imaging and creating time-lapses, it’s a limitation to keep in mind.

One practical complaint is the battery compartment. Pop open the door (which detaches and becomes easily lost) and inside is a small plastic cradle that takes eight AA batteries. As if needing to take a trip to a store before being able to use the SolarQuest wasn’t annoying enough, it occurred to me that if I was going to an eclipse, I would need to travel with at least eight more AA batteries as spares — and possibly another 16x for true peace of mind. Not a pleasant prospect. Should any gadget like this be AA battery-powered in the age of Lithium-ion and USB-C? A resounding no. The box includes a 12V DC connection but there’s no cable. It all seems poorly thought through and old-fashioned.

However, the main practical limitation of the SolarQuest is its 8.8 lbs (4 kg) payload, which sets it apart as an accessory for small solar telescopes. At its best when speed and simplicity matter, SolarQuest is a travel-friendly mount ideal for beginners and eclipse chasers seeking to remove a common frustration from solar observing — finding and tracking the sun — without adding complexity. It almost totally succeeds.

How we tested the Sky-Watcher SolarQuest mount head

We tried the SolarQuest for about two weeks with both a Celestron Regal M2 spotting scope (with a solar filter attached) for white-light observations of the solar disk and a Skywatcher HelioStar 76mm solar telescope. The latter was used to get some images of the sun in H-Alpha (Hα), in conjunction with a ZWO ASI174MM planetary camera.

Should I buy the Sky-Watcher SolarQuest mount head?

If you need something to support a solar or solar-filtered telescope under 8.8 lbs/4kg, the SolarQuest should be on your radar. It quickly finds the sun and tracks accurately, removing the need for manual alignment. It’s also really compact, operates quietly and has very simple controls.

The included instructions are poor, the way it’s battery-powered is far from ideal, and it’s limited by its payload capacity, but it’s so easy to use and quick to work that it’s hard to criticize the SolarQuest too harshly — it’s a slick and simple accessory.

If the Sky-Watcher SolarQuest mount head isn’t for you

There are very few dedicated solar trackers like the Sky-Watcher SolarQuest. However, some star trackers do have a mode where you can choose the sun as the star to track, including the Benro Polaris. Once you’ve entered the sun in the frame using the virtual joystick, the Polaris can automatically track it. Another alternative is an equatorial mount, which, when well aligned, can handle solar observing for longer periods and/or for making time-lapse sequences.

Solar observation can be tricky or underwhelming when trying to observe with handheld methods such as using solar eclipse glasses and solar binoculars. Hunting for the sun with binoculars can be tricky due to the essential ISO 12312-2 rated solar filters on the glass blocking all vision except for the solar disk itself. This is where a smart telescope like the entire Unistellar range can help; it automatically finds and tracks the solar disk from a few presses on your smartphone.

Need a smart telescope? Skip ahead to pick from our list of recommendations to suit all budgets.

All you need is to attach the correct Unistellar solar filter for your model, click Go-to on the Sun and the telescope will slew to the solar disk. If connected to a tablet or larger screen, you can get a much bigger image of the sun to share with groups and family. This also allows you to watch the observation from a shaded spot and get comfortable without needing to stay out under the beating sun.

Smart telescopes not only find and track the solar disk but they can image it too. Using built-in image focusing, stacking and processing, the telescope delivers a sharper image within seconds and reveals solar details like sunpots on the surface. If you don't want to miss getting a shot of the next solar eclipse, you can use the solar observation mode to capture the sun at all stages of the eclipse from your smart telescope. At the time of writing, the next total solar eclipse is coming on Aug. 12, 2026 and will be mainly visible in Greenland, western Iceland and northern Spain. Partial eclipses will be visible in some other European countries, parts of Canada and New York City.

What to do: A generalist step-by-step for most smart telescopes

• 1. Turn your smart telescope on
• 2. Link the smart telescope to a smartphone or tablet
• 3. Install the solar filter if the model requires a separate attachment
• 4. Select the sun on the app and wait for the location
• 5. Focus the image if needed and then use enhanced vision for more detail

What do you need?

For solar observation with a smart telescope, the first thing you will need is a smart telescope. While I'm going over how to use a Unistellar eVscope 2 for solar imaging and observation, most of the other smart telescope brands have models that are capable of this too, like the Dwarflab Dwarf Mini 3 and Vaonis Vespera II. If you are used to using a traditional telescope, bear in mind that you will need a smart device to operate the smart telescope and observe your targets. Most smart telescopes come with a tripod, so you shouldn't have to worry about getting one extra but it is an essential piece of equipment.

Next, you need a solar filter for your telescope. This is to protect the image sensors in the body of the telescope and drastically reduce the amount of light entering the aperture, so that you don't get a highly overexposed image. Many brands sell these solar filters separately and in the case of Unistellar, you have to make sure you get the right one for your model. There is a solar filter for their Odyssey range and then another filter for their pro range, which features the eQuinox 2 and eVscope 2 models.

Finally, you will also need access to somewhere with a good view of the sun, so a park, garden or open space is ideal. Solar imaging is best done in mid-to-late morning before the sun has heated up our atmosphere, which causes disturbance in the image. This is especially important if you are looking to get crisp shots of sunspots.

Observing and imaging the sun

Make sure your tripod is level, with your smart telescope properly attached, then turn it on and remove the dust cap. Open your preferred app and add your device by following the on-screen instructions.

Next, you should inspect your solar filter for any tears or holes, as any exposure to the sun without the filter can permanently damage the sensor. Installation is easy as you just clip the filter onto the end of your smart telescope.

After the device is connected, go to the list of sky targets in your app and it will allow you to browse or search for the sun. Click on it to bring up the go-to functions and if you are interested, more astronomical information about your chosen target.

Clicking on go-to for the sun brings up a series of slides to guide you through how to safely observe the sun with your device. The app also recommends positioning your telescope mount in the direction of the sun with the motor on your right to avoid any issues or delays in slewing.

After pressing go, the smart telescope should move and slew towards the sun. It can take a little while but it is rather exciting as you see the edges of the solar disk flash on the screen as the telescope gets closer and centers the image.

For smart telescopes with manual focusing, you will need to make sure that your image is in focus. Now on a bright sunny day, this can be tricky to see on a smart device screen but it is essential to getting a sharp image of sunspots. Using the wheel at the bottom of the eQuinox 2, I gradually adjusted the focus in small increments to allow for live image delay on my tablet. I used the sunspots as a guide for my focus, but it was still difficult because they don't become crystal clear during focusing, they just get slightly more defined and darker.

The real detail on the surface comes after you click enhanced vision mode or equivalent on the app, which starts live stacking of exposures of a few milliseconds and reveals a much more textured view of the solar surface. The sunspots get much sharper edges and you are able to see both the umbra and penumbra on some of them. In my imaging session, I got an image displaying the larger active regions of 4498, 4496 and 4492 as well as some smaller regions.

Observing an eclipse with your smart telescope

You should prepare well in advance if you are planning to observe a solar eclipse and test out the kit there before the big day. You don't want to be learning how to use your device on the day of the eclipse. Practice setting it up for solar observation a good few times before the day of the eclipse.

Using one of the best stargazing apps or the official Unistellar eclipse page, you can find out where the eclipse will be visible from and the time of maximum coverage in that location, so you can plan accordingly. The Aug. 12, 2026 total solar eclipse is just before sunset will be very low on the horizon, so you would need to find somewhere with a good view of the sunset and, ideally, do a practice run a week before. Setting up a few hours before the actual eclipse is necessary to avoid any last-minute disruptions and to get your telescope trained on the sun before the lunar disk starts to eclipse it. This is assuming that the skies are completely clear and free of clouds, but this is definitely something you should check before hauling your kit to a remote location. I use the Met Office Cloud cover map for the UK but other sites offer US and international coverage such as and Ventusky, SAT24 and Astrospheric.

Our top smart telescope recommendations to suit all budgets

It will be a magnificent day for England's south coast. From Portsmouth's Historic Dockyard and Brighton's Royal Pavilion to Dorset's Jurassic Coast and Cornwall's Land's End, beaches and cliff tops will be plunged into darkness in the day during the U.K.'s first total solar eclipse for almost 91 years. There is, however, a problem — this scenario won't occur until Sept. 23, 2090.

A total solar eclipse visits a location on Earth on average once every 366 years, and the British are currently in no-man's land. Aug. 12, 2026, is particularly cruel, with a path of totality cruising past the British Isles as it surges across the Atlantic Ocean from Iceland to northern Spain. Eclipse chasers in the U.K. are used to traveling, and travel they will, but those left behind will nevertheless experience a very deep partial solar eclipse peaking at 98% in extreme locations. It will be the U.K.'s most significant partial solar eclipse since March 20, 2015, when another path of totality just missed the U.K. to the north.

Related: Total solar eclipse 2026 — Everything you need to know

During a partial solar eclipse, it is NEVER safe to look directly at the sun without solar eclipse glasses designed for solar viewing. Read our guide on how to observe the sun safely.

Where to see the partial solar eclipse in the U.K.

A deep partial eclipse is a compelling sight, and the widespread nature of this one means millions of Brits can experience it without leaving home.

London, Manchester and Glasgow all experience 91.4% coverage, staggered by only a few minutes. Belfast does slightly better at 93.1%, while Cardiff edges ahead among the U.K's capitals at 93.2%. In practice, these differences are subtle — this is a nationwide event that requires no travel. That said, expect crowds at U.K. national parks, such as Snowdonia, the Brecon Beacons and the Pembrokeshire Coast in Wales; the South Downs and the Lake District in England; and the Cairngorms and the Isle of Skye in Scotland.

However, it's in County Kerry, Ireland, that sees the biggest eclipse in the British Isles archipelago, with Great Skellig — Luke Skywalker's island sanctuary in "Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens" and "Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi" — seeing a whopping 98% partial eclipse.

When to see the partial solar eclipse in the U.K.

This is a late, low eclipse, and timing matters. The action takes place between 5:59 p.m. and 8:10 p.m. BST, but the main event comes around 7:05-7:13 p.m. BST, when the eclipse reaches its maximum across the U.K. The deeply eclipsed sun will appear above the west-northwest horizon as a thin crescent, hanging like a curved blade, with its tips pointing toward the ground.

It won't get dark — that only happens within the path of totality. However, daylight will feel very subdued with a noticeable dimming.

Location will be crucial. Because the sun will be so low, you'll need a clear, unobstructed horizon — ideally from a coastal viewpoint, hilltop, or open landscape. Get into position early, use proper eclipse glasses and solar filters, and follow the sun as the moon slowly takes its bite.

If you're somewhere rural, it's worth spending the night, which also happens to be the peak of the annual Perseid meteor shower.

Best weather for the partial solar eclipse in the U.K.

Whether the sky is clear on the day is another matter; August may be warm in the U.K., but it's not known for clear skies (as anyone who traveled into the last British path of totality, in Cornwall in 1999, will recall). This is why many British eclipse chasers are perfectly happy that there is no total solar eclipse in the U.K. until 2090, but statistics are not destiny. A single high-pressure system on the day could transform the outlook entirely.

Meanwhile, the path of totality crosses regions with more reliable weather patterns, particularly north-central Spain and the Balearic Islands.

Partial solar eclipse beyond the U.K.

While observers in the U.K. will see a deep partial eclipse, those inside the narrow path of totality — across eastern Greenland, western Iceland and northern Spain — will experience something fundamentally different, if only for a few minutes. In eastern Spain, totality arrives just before sunset, with the fully eclipsed sun hovering only a few degrees above the western horizon. The sun will disappear almost immediately after totality ends.

However, what's been largely overlooked is the scale of the partially eclipsed sunset across Europe and northwest Africa. Across Algeria, France, Germany, Italy, Austria, Poland and beyond, millions will see the sun set while deeply eclipsed. In some locations, maximum eclipse occurs just minutes before sunset; in others, the sun slips below the horizon still significantly covered by the moon. Expect slim crescent suns to be photographed slipping beneath the horizon from across Central Europe.

Consequently, U.K. observers will see the edge of a much larger event — the moon's expansive penumbral shadow stretching across continents. It will be one of the most widely visible and visually striking eclipse phenomena of the decade. According to Time and Date, 283 million people will see at least a 90% partial eclipse.

When is the next partial solar eclipse in the U.K.?

If Aug. 12, 2026, feels like a one-off, it isn't. The U.K. is in the midst of an unusually active spell for partial eclipses, with at least one visible almost every year through the end of the decade. After this deep event comes a more modest partial on the morning of Aug. 2, 2027 — linked to the century's longest total eclipse over North Africa — with a maximum obscuration of 48% in southern England.

On Jan. 26, 2028, attention shifts once again to a partially eclipsed sunset during which up to 56% of the sun will be obscured by the moon. That one will be best seen from western locations such as Cornwall and Wales, while the central path delivers an annular "ring of fire" across Portugal and Spain. The June 12, 2029, eclipse is much more marginal, visible only from northeast England and eastern Scotland as a shallow partial eclipse at sunrise. Finally, on June 1, 2030, another annular eclipse brings a partially eclipsed sunrise to the entire U.K., with up to about 49% of the sun blocked by the moon in the southeast.

Individually, these events are varied — morning, sunset and sunrise eclipses, deep and shallow — but taken together they form a rare sequence for armchair eclipse chasers in the U.K. who likely won't be around for totality 64 years from now.

Want to know how to make the most of your eclipse viewing experience? Our best solar viewing gear for 2026 is here to help. We also have a guide on how to photograph a solar eclipse for those looking to take an even closer look at our star.

Be sure to stay up to date with all the latest news with our total solar eclipse live blog, where skywatching editor Daisy Dobrijevic will be sharing her experience of totality from aboard a HX Expeditions cruise ship in the waters off eastern Greenland. Skywatching writer Anthony Wood will also be bringing reports of each eclipse phase from central Spain, as he watches the eclipse accompanied by citizen scientists from the Dynamic Eclipse Broadcast initiative.

Are you ready for the eclipse? Whether you're bound for the path of totality or set to see a partial eclipse from Europe, Canada or the northeast U.S. on Wednesday, Aug. 12, there's a dirty word eclipse chasers hate to utter during an eclipse season, and yet become completely obsessed with — clouds.

Related: Total solar eclipse 2026 — Everything you need to know

We all start behaving as though Earth's atmosphere owes us something. After spending years studying the climate and where it is most likely along a path of totality to have a clear sky, we're in position and can now do almost nothing about it save for drive or sail a few miles. We refresh cloud forecasts. We compare satellite imagery. We point at scraps of blue sky as if we can persuade them to remain so at a specific time. By the time the moon is almost on the sun, we've spent the best part of a week staring at our phones and fretting.

The received wisdom is that you must have a perfect view of a total solar eclipse, and that if you don't, you've failed because you didn't do your research or take evasive action. Never mind that many who end up under a blue sky then spend the entire time behind a camera. The desire for a clear sky and a clean horizon is obvious — particularly if you're in the path of totality — and yet it's entirely possible that clouds will be present, very possibly in the places expected to be clear. That's exactly what happened on April 8, 2024, when the favored state of Texas was cloudy while wintry Maine and New Brunswick had a bluebird day.

Having seen many total, annular and partial solar eclipses, I have come to believe something slightly heretical: you do not need a perfectly clear-sky view of a total or partial solar eclipse to matter. Sometimes one clear second is enough. Whisper it, but clouds add a lot of drama not just to an eclipse, but to photos of it, too.

Beginners often assume an eclipse is only "successful" if they see the sun's corona throughout totality. Some even rank eclipses in advance according to how long totality lasts. It's all an illusion. If a gap opens in the cloud for a short time and the corona appears, that is not a consolation prize. That is the thing itself. The same goes for a glimpse of a partially eclipsed sun if that's what's heading your way.

So don't fret the eclipse — check weather forecasts and do your best to find a clear sky, but when nature takes over, don't fight it or get upset by it. Cherish whatever you get. You only need a one-second window — and even that is not in your control.

What's happening

On Aug. 12, the moon's shadow crosses eastern Greenland, western Iceland and northern Spain, with a small part of Portugal also near the action. From inside the narrow path of totality, the sun will be completely covered for up to 2 minutes 18 seconds. If that's your destination, get excited — and be prepared. During totality, stay present. An eclipse is short enough that distraction becomes a genuine hazard to observing. A one-second look can be enough, but only if you are really paying attention.

Outside of the path of totality, a much wider partial solar eclipse will be visible across the U.K., Europe, parts of North America and northwest Africa.

The U.K. gets one of the more striking consolation prizes: a very deep partial eclipse late in the day. Across much of Britain, around nine-tenths of the sun will be covered, with the deepest views toward the west and southwest. London, Manchester and Glasgow are all in the roughly 91% range, while Cardiff and Belfast do slightly better. Maximum eclipse takes place around 7:05 to 7:13 p.m. BST, when the sun will be low in the west-northwest. That low sun is the detail many people will miss. This is not an eclipse to watch from behind a row of houses, trees or office blocks. A beach, cliff top, hill or open field may make the difference between seeing a thin solar crescent and seeing nothing at all. But having a clear western horizon means clear weather is needed not just where you are, but where you're looking — possibly a 100 miles away to the northwest. That will be even more of an issue in eastern Spain and the Balearic Islands, from where the total solar eclipse will occur when the sun and moon are just a couple of degrees above the horizon.

North America gets a smaller event, but not a meaningless one. The farther northeast you are, the better — though a partial eclipse probably isn't something to travel far to see more of. It's best to take what's coming your way. In the U.S., northern Maine sees the deepest partial eclipse, while Boston, New York, Philadelphia and parts of New England see a smaller bite taken from the sun after lunch. Canada does better, especially in the east and north. Newfoundland sees more than half the sun covered, while the rest of Atlantic Canada has a much better show than most of the U.S.

Wherever you are, remember that it is never safe to look directly at the sun without proper eclipse glasses or certified solar filters. Thin cloud does not make it safe to look at the sun. Nor do sunglasses. Even a quick glance requires eclipse glasses.

How and when I'm watching it

I'll be in Greenland for this one, but the way I recommended you watch it is low-tech. I would bring eclipse glasses, a printed or saved set of local timings (visit Time and Date for a location-specific schedule), and binoculars with a proper solar filter fitted securely over the front of the lenses. Personally, I wouldn't build the day around photography. The great trap of a total solar eclipse is believing it is mainly something to photograph. It is not. It is something that happens to the whole environment.

If you're in the path of a deep partial eclipse — say, over about 80% — you may begin to notice the light taking on an unusual quality, with a more noticeable dimming around 90% coverage. If you're in the path of totality, you'll feel a coolness as totality begins, birds and humans going quiet, and light levels suddenly crashing as the moon's shadow sweeps across you. Clouds can even sharpen the strangeness. In the path of totality, a low, milky sky may hide the corona, but that also makes the darkness feel heavier and more sudden. All of this is why people cherish their experience of an eclipse — not because of a photograph.

Stargazer's corner: August 7-13, 2026

Here comes an incredible week of stargazing, with the solar eclipse and the peak of the Perseid meteor shower — both occurring on the same day — hard to underplay. Those chasing the eclipse in Greenland and Iceland may have a chance to see the aurora after midnight, though the darkness is short. Farther south, it's peak Milky Way season. The galaxy arches high across the sky, with its brightest and most detailed regions now well placed after dusk. All this week, the moon will be a thin crescent, if present at all, creating excellent conditions for simply stepping outside and exploring the sky at night. If you can glimpse the Milky Way, an eclipsed sun and a "shooting star," you've bagged one of the greatest combinations in skywatching.

Related: The biggest skywatching day of 2026 is coming. Here's what you'll see in North America and Europe

Constellation of the week: Perseus

Perseus is the name attached to the week's meteor shower, but the meteors do not actually come from the stars of Perseus. They only appear to radiate from that direction because Earth is moving through a stream of comet debris. To find Perseus, look northeast late in the evening and higher before dawn, below the W-shaped constellation Cassiopeia. The beginner's mistake is to stare at the radiant. Use Perseus only as an anchor point, then watch the widest patch of dark sky you can manage. This meteor shower — one of the best of the year, taking place under perfect moonless conditions — rewards patience more than precision.

The Aug. 12 total solar eclipse is less than a week away! We know that eclipse planning can be daunting, so we've put together a list of great eclipse apps to help make things that little bit easier.

Over 15 million people across Spain, Greenland and Iceland will witness totality on Aug. 12, while almost a billion will bear witness to a partial eclipse, as the moon blocks a portion of the sun's light without hiding its surface entirely, according to Time and Date.com. However, each person's experience will be subtly different, whether it be the exact timing of totality, the terrain, cloud cover, or a myriad of other reasons.

From location-specific totality alerts to weather forecasts, there are plenty of ways that these apps can help enhance your eclipse viewing experience.

Eclipse smartphone apps 2026

SolarWatch

The popular iOS stargazing app SolarWatch has had a major update to introduce a slew of helpful eclipse-planning features. According to solo developer Engin Kurutepe, the app offers interactive eclipse path maps that allow you to simulate precise timings for each phase of an upcoming eclipse, while also providing data on local cloud obscuration.

SolarWatch also gives real-time and time-lapse simulations of the moon's shadow racing across a 3D representation of Earth, along with educational content on eclipse phenomena such as Baily's Beads. It also tracks each eclipse phase with countdowns and even gives details on the speed of the moon's shadow at your specific location!

The Eclipse App

As its name suggests, The Eclipse App is available on iOS to cater to all your eclipse needs. The app has been rebuilt for the Aug. 12 eclipse, featuring exact timings for each stage of the event running from first contact through totality and beyond.

See simulations of the eclipse from your specific vantage point, receive alerts and discover exactly how much of the sun is covered during any given moment of the eclipse, the length of totality and more. Inbuilt features also allow you to record your experience in real time and return to relive it after the event.

Totality by Big Kid Science

Like other apps on this list, Totality by Big Kid Science on IOS and the Play Store offers users a wealth of eclipse information, including detailed timings based on your phone's GPS data, safety tips, eclipse science and more. It also provides handy navigation tools to help eclipse chasers find a way into the path of totality.

Solar Snap

Want to capture the eclipse but don't have access to an expensive camera? Then Solar Snap on iOS or the Google Play Store might be for you.

The app provides a range of useful controls and features to help you capture the Aug. 12 eclipse with your smartphone, along with an interactive global eclipse map and information on the timings of phases, position of the sun and more.

It's designed to work in conjunction with a solar smartphone filter, which can be purchased as part of the Solar Snap filter kit. Alternatively, there are in-app tutorials that show how to make your own smartphone filter using a pair of eclipse glasses!

Be sure to check out our live blog for all of the latest news on the Aug. 12 total solar eclipse, along with on-the-ground reporting of the eclipse from skywatching editor Daisy Dobrijevic, who is currently aboard HX Expeditions' MS Spitsbergen off the coast of Greenland and skywatching writer Anthony Wood who will be heading to Spain. We'll also be publishing information on how to watch the eclipse live online for free closer to the time.

While you're at it why not download the Space.com app, available on IOS and Android, to stay up to date on all the latest launches, space science, skywatching news and eclipses?

Editor's Note: If you would like to share your eclipse astrophotography with Space.com's readers, then please send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

The total solar eclipse on Aug. 12, 2026 will sweep across parts of the Northern Hemisphere, offering millions of people a chance to witness one of nature's most spectacular sights.

The path of totality — in which the moon completely covers the sun — begins over the Arctic Ocean, before crossing eastern Greenland, western Iceland and northern Spain. It then passes over the Balearic Islands before ending over the Mediterranean Sea.

Only skywatchers inside this relatively narrow path, just 182 miles (293 kilometers) wide, will experience totality, where day briefly turns to twilight. Here, you'll be able to safely see the sun's outer atmosphere, known as the corona, with the naked eye during the fleeting moment when the moon completely obscures the sun.

A much larger region surrounding the path of totality will instead see an impressive partial solar eclipse. Much of Europe, including the U.K., Ireland, France, Germany, Italy and Scandinavia, will witness the moon take a "bite" out of the sun.

Northern Spain is expected to be one of the most popular destinations for eclipse chasers thanks to its relatively accessible location and the low evening sun on the big day, which could create dramatic views as totality unfolds close to sunset. Greenland and Iceland offer very different experiences, with totality taking place higher in the sky against the nations' spectacular Arctic landscapes.

We'll have reporters on the ground to keep you updated each step of the way. Be sure to follow along on our total solar eclipse live blog to stay up to date with all the latest news and action as Skywatching Editor Daisy Dobrijevic embarks on an eclipse expedition to Greenland with HX Expeditions and Skywatching Writer Anthony Wood heads to Spain to experience the eclipse with NASA's DEB initiative and citizen scientists.

How to watch

Wherever you plan to watch from, remember that it is never safe to look directly at the sun without proper eye protection. Certified solar eclipse glasses or a solar filter fitted to telescopes, binoculars and cameras must be used throughout the partial phases. Only during the brief period of totality, when the moon completely blocks the sun, can you safely remove your eclipse glasses and look directly at the eclipse.

We will also be livestreaming the eclipse here on Space.com; details will be released closer to the time.

Want to know exactly where the eclipse will be visible and how long totality will last at different locations? Check out our complete guide to where to see the Aug. 12, 2026 total solar eclipse, including detailed maps, timings and viewing advice.

The Aug. 12 total solar eclipse is nearly here, and if you’re hoping to observe totality, you will likely be heading to Greenland, Iceland, or Spain. The UK gets a solid 90% show, while the US only catches a small partial solar eclipse.

Wherever you're watching it from, do not look directly at the sun without ISO 12312-2 certified solar eclipse glasses — standard sunglasses aren't safe and won't save your retina.

Not sure which to buy? We’ve rounded up legitimate, safe options that you can order right now from the US, UK, and European retailers, so you can stay safe and enjoy the eclipse whether you're staying put, about to travel, or already abroad.

• We've got you covered with reviews and rankings of the best telescopes, binoculars, star projectors, cameras, drones, Lego, streaming and more.

Best solar eclipse glasses in Europe

Below are our recommended options to buy safe solar eclipse glasses if you're already traveling abroad to see totality.

• France 🇫🇷 starting from €6.99 ($8.07 USD)
• Spain 🇪🇸 and Portugal 🇵🇹 as low as €7.22 ($8.33 USD)
• Germany 🇩🇪 packs from 1 to 100 pairs
• Italy 🇮🇹 cheapest at €4.95 ($5.71 USD)

Best US solar eclipse glasses

Best UK solar eclipse glasses

The 2026 total solar eclipse is coming on Aug. 12 but if you are in the USA, you won't be able to experience totality. A minor partial eclipse is visible from some states, with the best coverage in parts of Alaska and New England. You might be getting ready to travel to one of the spots that will reach totality, like Greenland, western Iceland and northern Spain. Even places in the UK will be getting their best solar eclipse since the 1999 total solar eclipse over Europe, with the moon obscuring around 90% of the sun.

If you are planning on watching it at all, you will need at the very least, a pair of solar eclipse glasses. They need to be rated ISO 12312-2 so that they block 99.999% of the sunlight and keep observation safe. Looking at the sun without proper protection can result in permanent blindness and vision problems. If you are after some sharp images of the sun, you will even need filters and solar viewing gear for your smart telescope, camera or solar binoculars.

So whether you are staying in the USA for a small but partial eclipse or travelling to Europe for a more dramatic show, we have found the best solar eclipse glasses to grab before the event. We have included retailers from America and Europe, including the best eclipse glasses in the UK. You should always check your eclipse glasses before use to make sure there are no holes or tears in them. Make sure you buy from a reputable brand and if you are unsure in any way about their eye protection ability, don't use them.

Get ready stargazers! We're just one week away from the total solar eclipse on Aug. 12, when millions of stargazers will be treated to a spectacular display as the lunar disk passes in front of the sun, blocking its light.

Roughly 15.2 million people spread across Greenland, Iceland, Portugal, Russia and Spain will be in the path of totality during the total solar eclipse 2026, where the moon will completely hide the sun's disk starting at 12:58 p.m. EDT (1658 GMT), according to Time and Date.

A further 980 million people — approximately 12% of Earth's human population — will bear witness to a partial eclipse, as the lunar disk appears to takes a bite out of the sun.

Solar eclipses occur during the monthly new moon phase, when the lunar disk passes directly between the sun and Earth in its slightly lopsided orbit, casting its colossal shadow over a swathe of our planet's surface.

Viewers in the U.K. and several European countries will see an impressive partial solar eclipse, with around 90% of the sun's surface occulted by the moon as it sinks low on the western horizon. Several northeastern U.S. states, including New York, Maine and Pennsylvania, that sit farther from the path of totality will witness the lunar disk take a small "bite" out of the sun.

You can find out exactly what percentage of the sun will be occulted by the moon using Time and Date's interactive eclipse tracker. Remember, staring directly at the sun during the partial phases of an eclipse can cause permanent vision loss. Be sure to read our guide to safely viewing a solar eclipse, along with our picks of the best solar viewing gear for the 2026 eclipse to ensure that you're ready to enjoy the event.

We will also be bringing you the latest eclipse news and updates from our reporters in the field with our dedicated eclipse live blog. Skywatching Editor Daisy Dobrijevic is on an eclipse expedition to Greenland with HX Expeditions and Skywatching Writer Anthony Wood is heading to Spain shortly to experience the eclipse with NASA's DEB initiative and citizen scientists.

If the eclipse isn't visible from your location, there's no need to worry. You can watch each stage of the total solar eclipse unfold in real time from the comfort of your home. Details of livestreams will be released closer to the time.

August's umbral show is just the opening act of a "Golden Age" of solar eclipses, which will see three total eclipses and three annular "ring of fire" eclipses sweep across Earth between 2026 to 2028.

Want to upgrade your gear and sharpen your skills? Then be sure to check out our roundups of the best cameras and lenses for astrophotography, along with our expert's guide to photographing a solar eclipse, to ensure that you're ready to capture the next great solar event.

Editor's Note: If you would like to share your solar eclipse photos with Space.com's readers, then please send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

Meet the Dynamic Eclipse Broadcast Initiative — a passion-driven citizen science endeavour that shares breathtaking views of total solar eclipses while capturing valuable data on the sun's incandescent atmosphere.

At the heart of our solar system is a burning ball of superheated gas 100 times the width of Earth, with a thermonuclear reaction raging at its core. Its radiation and gravity hold the planets in their orbit and allow for the existence of life on our Blue Marble.

Yet despite centuries of scientific scrutiny, many mysteries remain as to the inner workings of our sun and the influence it extends out into the solar system.

What is the DEB Initiative?

One effort to unravel the mysteries and share the beauty of our parent star is being undertaken by the DEB. A network of volunteer solar observers coordinated and guided by professional astronomers from Southern Illinois University Carbondale that's partly funded by NASA and the National Science Foundation.

"We came up with a setup that's portable, that's relatively cheap," Associate Scientist Bob Baer of the Southern Illinois University Carbondale and co-principle investigator of the DEB Initiative explained to Space.com in an interview. "They're about $1,800 once you factor in everything, like the computer, the mount, the telescope, the camera."

During the great American Eclipse of 2024, the DEB had over 80 teams equipped with identical telescopes arrayed across a path of totality that cut through the contiguous United States. Having trained for months, their duty was to keep vigil on the climactic phase of totality, as the moon's silhouette covered the face of our parent star to reveal the sun's golden corona reaching out into the false twilight.

Telescope footage was uploaded in near-real time and included in livestreams that brought the beauty of the eclipse directly to the public no matter where they were — an impressive effort that saw numerous members of the team receive Emmy Awards for their coverage.

Some of the volunteers are also the authors of a scientific paper set to be published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters that tracked the structure and dynamics of the sun's inner atmosphere, or corona, from 11 DEB locations over 49 minutes of evolution.

Outside of eclipses, volunteers also use their telescopes to track asteroids, solar vibrations and powerful flares that blast from the surface of the sun. They even collect data on exoplanet transits, as distant worlds pass between our planet and their parent stars, creating periodic dips in their light.

Having so many volunteers in different places enables a much wider range of data to be collected. "It's the network of telescopes that is the strength of the project," explained Baer. "It's not just one scope."

Is the DEB watching over the 2026 eclipse?

A spectacular total solar eclipse will take place on Aug. 12, as the moon's vast silhouette passes across the solar disk, completely blocking its light across a 182-mile-wide (293-kilometer) swathe of Greenland, Iceland and Spain during the climactic phase of totality.

The DEB will have two teams on hand in the path of totality to observe the eclipse. One will set up in the northwestern Spanish city of Leon, while a second team — led by citizen scientist Charles Greenwald and shadowed by myself — will find the high ground in the Castilian village of Valoria la Buena, 93 miles (150 kilometers) to the southeast.

My conversations with Greenwald have underscored how important passion is to maintaining an initiative like the DEB. The past eight months have seen him travel to Guadalajara, Mexico, multiple times to prepare his team for their expedition to Spain, while helping to test software updates that govern how telescopes will capture the sun over the course of the eclipse.

As in 2024, the data DEB volunteers collect will be uploaded to a server in real time and used in multiple live streams — including NASA coverage — to bring the public closer to the eclipse. But it's also being used as whetstone, a testing ground to hone processes that will be used to document what some are dubbing as "the eclipse of the century", which will sweep across a swathe of Northern Africa on Aug. 2, 2027.

It'll be the longest totality of any eclipse in the 21st century to date, lasting a maximum of 6 minutes and 23 seconds as opposed to the 2 minutes 18 seconds of the 2026 eclipse.

DEB leadership is working on tentative plans for an ambitious 2027 campaign, which could see 27 teams composed of American groups and local observers set up across the path of totality. Baer is hoping to achieve double redundancy throughout the shadow's path, ensuring an uninterrupted view in the event that a group is clouded out, or loses connection.

For plans to unfold on that scale, many moving parts would need to fall into place, both in terms of logistics and funding and, more importantly, in acquiring volunteers from both the U.S. and North Africa.

It's a labor of science, and love. The DEB is planning to start recruiting volunteers for 2027 in the fall of this year, so be sure to keep an eye on the Initiative's website if you're interested in joining their mission to watch over our parent star.

In the meantime, don't forget to check out our explainer article on the Aug. 12 total solar eclipse, along with our roundup of the best solar viewing gear and tips on how to safely observe the sun!

During the eclipse, we'll have live reporting of the event from Skywatching Editor Daisy Dobrijevic as she watches from the the deck of a HX Expeditions cruise ship in the waters off eastern Greenland.

I, meanwhile, will be sharing my experience of totality from the Spanish village of Valoria la Buena, where the eclipse will unfold low in the western evening sky.

Editor's Note: If you would like to share your eclipse photography with Space.com's readers, then please send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.