NASA sets Aug. 12 total solar eclipse coverage for Northern Hemisphere

A total solar eclipse will sweep across parts of the Northern Hemisphere on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026. NASA announced on July 29, 2026, that it will provide live coverage of the event, which will be visible in Greenland, Iceland, northern Russia, the Atlantic Ocean, Spain, and a small corner of Portugal. A partial eclipse will also be observable from a much broader area, including portions of the United States from Alaska to North Carolina, most of Canada, much of Europe, and northwestern Africa. The path of totality will first touch Iceland at 1:45 p.m. Eastern Time, then reach Spain at 2:28 p.m. Eastern Time, with NASA's broadcast starting at 1:15 p.m. Eastern Time. The agency plans to stream the eclipse on multiple platforms, featuring views from along the path and interviews with experts. During the event, NASA will conduct scientific experiments: a funded team will fly a WB-57 high-altitude research aircraft to study the Sun's corona, and students from several U.S. universities will launch scientific balloons in Iceland and Spain through the Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project to investigate atmospheric effects. The public can engage by submitting questions on social media using designated NASA accounts, and eclipse photos will be posted on NASA's Flickr account after the event.