Skywatchers across the North Atlantic are gearing up for a rare celestial one-two punch. On Wednesday, Aug. 12, the moon's shadow will trace a total solar eclipse across a remote stretch of Siberian Russia, eastern Greenland, western Iceland, and northern Spain and Portugal — the first total eclipse visible from mainland Europe since 1999, and the first over the Iberian Peninsula in more than a century, according to NASA.
Where and when to look
Totality will last a maximum of 2 minutes and 18 seconds along the path's centerline. Reykjavík is expected to see totality around 17:48 UTC, lasting about a minute, before the shadow crosses the Atlantic and reaches mainland Spain shortly before 18:30 UTC, sweeping through cities including León, Zaragoza and Valencia, per timeanddate.com. A partial eclipse will be visible well beyond the path of totality, including parts of the northern United States, most of Canada, much of Europe and northwestern Africa.
Millions are expected to travel to Iceland and Spain for the event, with hotels and eclipse-chasing cruises booked out along the path months in advance.
An added bonus: the Perseids
Stargazers who miss the eclipse — or want an encore — won't have to wait long. The Perseid meteor shower peaks the same week, with the highest rates expected in the pre-dawn hours of Aug. 12 and 13. A new moon means dark skies with none of the usual lunar glare, giving observers a shot at 50 to 75 meteors an hour at a dark-sky site, according to EarthSky.
For those outside the path of totality, both events are a reminder of how the same week can offer two very different ways to look up: one requiring a plane ticket and eclipse glasses, the other just a clear patch of sky after midnight.
