NASA has released an official trailer promoting a total solar eclipse scheduled for Aug. 12, 2026 [1].
The event represents a significant opportunity for astronomers and the public to observe the solar corona, the outermost part of the sun's atmosphere. Because the moon will pass directly between the Earth and the sun, it will temporarily obscure the solar disk [2].
Totality will be visible in specific regions, including Greenland, Iceland, northern Russia, the Atlantic Ocean, Spain, and a small corner of Portugal [3]. In these areas, the sun will be completely blocked by the moon, creating a period of midday darkness.
While the total eclipse is concentrated in the Atlantic and European regions, a partial eclipse will be visible across much of the Northern Hemisphere [1]. This includes most of Canada, much of Europe, and northwestern Africa [1].
Viewers in the U.S. will also be able to observe the event, though they will only experience a partial solar eclipse [1]. The path of visibility for the partial eclipse in the U.S. extends from Alaska to North Carolina [1].
NASA's promotional materials emphasize the scale of the event, which will be visible to millions of people across multiple continents. The agency said the trailer is to prepare the public for the celestial alignment and to provide guidance on safe viewing practices.
“The moon will pass directly between the Earth and the sun, temporarily obscuring the solar disk.”
The 2026 eclipse marks a shift in visibility from previous North American totals to a European and Arctic focus. While the U.S. will not experience totality, the broad visibility of the partial eclipse across the Northern Hemisphere ensures high global engagement and provides NASA with a wide array of data points for studying the solar corona.
