An eclipse expert's guide to next year's solar blackout

Independent

8 hours ago

'It's the first total eclipse in Spain since 1905, and there won't be another one in Iceland this century.'
So says Dr John Mason, describing the next occasion on which the moon will fully obscure the sun: 12 August 2026.
He told The Independent 's daily travel podcast: 'We have a total eclipse that starts in the high Arctic, goes over the North Pole, down the east coast of Greenland, far northwest corner of Iceland, over the ocean, and then down to Spain and the Balearic Islands.'
Only a tiny proportion of the planet's population has ever witnessed a total solar eclipse. The fact that the celestial phenomenon will sweep across northern Spain and reach the island of Mallorca at sunset is exciting for the millions who will be on holiday in the region during the peak summer month for travel.
But Dr Mason cautions: 'This is one of the trickiest solar eclipses in terms of weather that I've seen for a long time.'
As many people who witnessed the last such event in the UK – Cornwall, 1999 – will remember, cloud cover takes away the magic of a total solar eclipse.
The Sussex astronomer has been chasing the darkness for almost four decades. His expertise enables him to select the optimum location to view each eclipse – and to rule out long stretches of the 'path of totality'.
Dr Mason says: 'In the high Arctic, Greenland and Iceland, cloud cover is at least 80 per cent and, in many places, over 90 per cent.' The latter represents less than a one-in-10 chance of witnessing the eclipse without overcast skies.
The figure improves "up on the high frozen ice cap in the middle of Greenland'. He rates the chance of clear skies as 60 per cent, 'which is not bad'.
The other Greenland option is the middle of Scoresby Sound on the east coast – one of the world's largest fjords.
'You could get between 45 and 50 per cent clear, which would be quite good for that area. But as soon as you get to the ocean, then the cloud cover becomes 80, 90 per cent or more.'
'Even in the far northwest of Iceland, where the prospects are just a little bit better, it's still not great. Inland in Iceland, the prospects are slightly better, but the roads there are extremely narrow. I think the Iceland authorities will look very carefully at how many people are going to go there.'
The greatest duration for the 2026 total solar eclipse – a relatively short two minutes and 18 seconds – will be just off the coast of northwest Iceland.
The track of totality will then sweep southeast across the Atlantic, to the west of Ireland.
Dr Mason predicts that many eclipse chasers will be on board cruise or expedition ships in the North Atlantic. But, he warns: 'It's going to be tricky for the captains to find a spot where there is clear weather. Even though the sun is reasonably high in the sky, you've still got the problem of 80-90 per cent-plus cloud cover.
'It next makes landfall in northern Spain, and here the weather prospects increase dramatically.'
The centre of the path of totality will first strike Spain over the port of Luarca in Asturias. It will then traverse southeast – passing just south, in turn, of the cities of Oviedo and Burgos.
'Although you have cloud cover, to maybe 50 or 60 per cent along the northern coast of Spain, as soon as you come inland a bit the weather prospects increase dramatically,' Dr Mason says.
'I'm going to be in central northern Spain, where the cloud prospects are much better, but the sun is getting lower and lower in the sky.
'When the sun is low in the sky, you've got a very long path through the atmosphere, and you only need cloud somewhere along that path to thwart your view.
'Where I'm going to be, which is southwest of Burgos, the sun is going to be about nine degrees high at totality.
'That's not too bad. As you go nearer towards the Mediterranean coast, and obviously the sun gets lower and lower, the chances of cloud being in the way increase.'
The eclipse track leaves mainland Spain just north of Castellon airport on the Mediterranean coast. But by then the sun will be very low on the horizon – even more so, when it strikes the southwest coast of Mallorca just north of the port of Andratx.
Dr Mason holds out the tantalising prospect of 'an amazing view of a totally eclipsed sun hanging above the horizon, looking really large.'
'For a place to view it, you've got to make sure that you're up high and you don't have anything in the way on the land.'
If there is to be a Mallorca miracle, it will be best viewed from a location on the sparsely populated southwest coast of Mallorca, rather than a bar in Magaluf – also on the line of totality, but where many obstructions will block the view.
Except during the brief spell of totality, viewers of eclipses must use special glasses to protect their eyes. The US National Solar Observatory says: 'During totality, you may view the sun without proper eye protection.
'But during all other phases of the eclipse, you should only look at the sun when your eyes are protected.'
Eclipse viewing glasses will be widely available at the key locations on the line of totality.
Dr Mason is much sought after by travel firms as a tour leader; Queen guitarist Sir Brian May is among his celebrity clients. The astronomer will be leading his 2026 trip on behalf of New Scientist.