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Spain Awaits 2026 Total Solar Eclipse, First Since 1905

8/2/2026

Summary

Spain Hosts Eclipse

Spain will see a total solar eclipse on August 12 2026, its first since 1905.
The totality path will cross northern Russia, Greenland, Iceland, Portugal and Spain, with darkness lasting 2 minutes 18 seconds.
NASA will stream the eclipse live in HD on NASA+, TV and social platforms, while officials advise using ISO 12312-2 certified eclipse glasses.
Scientists will fly a WB-57 aircraft, launch balloons and equip a research plane with cameras.

Summary

Norlandair Eclipse Flights

Norlandair will sell seats for the eclipse at up to $5,250, offering a 1 hour 45 minute ride that extends totality to 2 minutes 40 seconds.
Student teams from the University of Hartford and Virginia Tech will launch 86 balloons with ozone sensors to transmit data during the 1 minute 46 second totality.
A C-295 will carry the E-CorMag instrument, using spare parts of ESA’s Proba-3 and NASA’s Solar Orbiter, to record magnetic-field polarization in the solar corona.

History

Historical Context

The 1919 total solar eclipse on 29 May, observed from Sobral, Brazil and Príncipe, let Arthur Eddington’s Royal Astronomical Society team measure a 1.75-arcsecond starlight deflection, confirming Albert Einstein’s general-relativity prediction and thrusting the theory into global fame. That precedent underpins today’s 2026 eclipse across Spain, Greenland and Portugal, which NASA will stream live.

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Spain Hosts Eclipse

Spain will see a total solar eclipse on August 12 2026, its first since 1905.
The totality path will cross northern Russia, Greenland, Iceland, Portugal and Spain, with darkness lasting 2 minutes 18 seconds.
NASA will stream the eclipse live in HD on NASA+, TV and social platforms, while officials advise using ISO 12312-2 certified eclipse glasses.
Scientists will fly a WB-57 aircraft, launch balloons and equip a research plane with cameras.

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