Total solar eclipse to cross Spain on Aug. 12, accompanied by planetary alignment and Perseids

A total solar eclipse will sweep across the Iberian Peninsula on Aug. 12, offering up to two minutes and 18 seconds of totality in parts of Spain and Portugal before ending over the Mediterranean. The eclipse’s path begins near the North Pole, travels south across the Atlantic, and reaches its maximum duration off Iceland’s west coast. Partial phases will be visible across a broad region that includes Alaska, Siberia, Canada, the northern United States, much of Europe and West Africa, with coverage ranging from 94% in Dublin to 2% in Norfolk, Virginia.

The same day will feature an alignment of six planets forming an arc before sunrise and the peak of the Perseid meteor shower after sunset, providing additional viewing opportunities for the public.

European Space Agency (ESA) officials said the agency will host a live webcast from Spain’s Astrophysical Observatory of Javalambre and a public celebration in León. NASA, the Italian Virtual Telescope Project and other groups will also provide coverage. ESA’s director of science Carole Mundell noted, “For me, it’s not just a scientific moment. It’s not just an incredible alignment of heavenly bodies. It’s also a very human moment.”

Researchers plan a range of scientific activities. Two ESA satellites, including the Proba-3 formation-flight pair, will attempt to capture images of the eclipsed Sun and its corona. More than 60 high-altitude balloons, funded by NASA and launched by U.S. university teams, will be released from Spain and Iceland to study atmospheric changes during the brief darkness. Montana State University’s Angela Des Jardins said, “A couple of minutes isn’t a lot of time, but it’s still plenty to affect the atmosphere and to make that cold, dark shadow of the moon on Earth.”

Southwest Research Institute’s Amir Caspi will operate a NASA high-altitude aircraft equipped with four cameras to record the corona in nine wavelengths, extending the observation window to nearly three minutes while the plane flies at 460 mph.

Astronomer Michael Zeiler, on his thirteenth total eclipse, will join a cruise in a Greenland fjord to attempt simultaneous observations of the eclipse and possible aurora activity.

Future eclipses are also highlighted: a longer total eclipse on Aug. 2, 2027, will cross southern Spain and North Africa with up to six minutes of totality, and a ring-of-fire eclipse is scheduled for Jan. 26, 2028.