2026 Solar & Lunar Eclipse Guide

If you’re looking for the chance to experience an annular solar eclipse, this isn’t it. With the path of annularity only curving through the Southern Ocean, the only ones likely to witness it are the scientists (and penguins) located at Concordia Station, in Antarctica. Those lucky few, if the weather is favorable, will see a truly unforgettable sight - a ring of fire at sunset, hovering low over the southwestern horizon, with a vista of snow and ice barely a few degrees below it.

The hundred or so residents and visitors in the Kerguelen Islands will have the next-best view, with observers in the capital of Port-aux-Français seeing 88% of the Sun’s disc covered. Since only seasoned, dedicated eclipse chasers are likely to venture that far, a more likely alternative are the islands of Mauritius and Réunion, which will both experience an early evening partial eclipse with 43% obscuration.

Lastly, Madagascar and South Africa offer a partially eclipsed afternoon Sun, with coverage ranging from 13% in Cape Town to 32% in Antananarivo and Toamasina.

The shadow then passes south through the North Atlantic, passing west of Ireland and then making landfall in northern Spain. This provides observers in cities across western and northern Europe with a darker-than-usual sunset, as many locations will see a Sun roughly 90% obscured hovering near the western horizon.

When it comes to Europe, all the sweet spots are in northern Spain and the Balearic Islands, with Bilbao and Zaragoza both experiencing totality (Zaragoza being the better option) and Barcelona, Madrid, and Seville barely missing out. Palma, on the island of Mallorca (aka Majorca), experiences totality lasting 1 minute and 36 seconds at sunset, with the other Balearic Islands of Ibiza and Menorca enjoying similar views.

Meanwhile, a few key locations in the northeastern United States and Canada will experience an afternoon partial eclipse, with those further east seeing more of the Sun’s disc eclipsed. Canada fares better, with St. John’s in Newfoundland seeing the Sun a little more than 60% obscured, while those in the New England states of the US will see less than a third of the Sun covered.

The penumbral phase - when the Moon first enters the Earth’s shadow and its light is subtly dimmed - begins several hours after sunset on the east coast, with the Moon rising in the southeast. The further west you are, the lower the Moon will appear, with this phase beginning before sunset for those on the west coast.

Unfortunately, west coast observers will have to wait to catch a glimpse of the eclipsed Moon, as the partial phase begins at around sunset, with the Moon below the horizon. Meanwhile, on the east coast, the Moon will continue to climb in the southeast.

By the time mid-eclipse occurs, the Moon will be culminating in the south for those in the east, while those in the west will see it low over the southeastern horizon. The partial phase then continues for another hour and 39 minutes, which will give west coast observers a chance to see the eclipsed Moon at a sufficient altitude.

This eclipse takes place with the Moon in Aquarius, and while there are no bright stars immediately nearby, east coast observers may see Fomalhaut closer to the horizon and Saturn glowing dimly some way towards the southeast.