A look back at the 2026 total solar eclipse

On 12 August 2026, Europe witnessed its first total solar eclipse in over two decades, with millions awed as the Moon completely covered the Sun's bright disc, turning day into night and revealing the Sun's outer atmosphere. Totality was visible from Greenland, Iceland, Spain and Portugal, while most of the rest of Europe saw a partial eclipse.

As the eclipse progressed, light faded and temperatures dropped, shadows sharpened, and shuffling leaves on trees or colanders held to the light projected crescents on the ground. Just before totality, Baily's beads appeared where sunlight passed through lunar valleys, followed by a diamond ring effect. During totality, the corona extended as white streaks with red prominences, prompting ESA's Director of Science Professor Carole Mundell to describe it as 'boggles the mind' and 'very, very special.'

ESA's live broadcast, hosted by Dame Dr Maggie Aderin from the Observatorio Astrofísico de Javalambre, featured 1 minute and 21 seconds of totality with telescope and drone views, plus reactions from Mundell and others. The agency also provided telescope feeds from León, Palencia and Javalambre, and collected photos from across Europe. Earth observation satellite MTG-I1 captured the Moon's shadow over Earth, while ESA's Proba-3 spacecraft captured a double eclipse from orbit.

A free public event in León, organised with the City and University, attracted thousands and included demonstrations on turning light into sound. The broadcast program covered topics from solar corona mysteries and a famous eclipse that changed our understanding of gravity to ESA's ongoing work creating artificial eclipses in space.