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Just wondering who else on here is planning a trip to see the Solar Eclipse next year (12th August 2026)?
I’ve been wanting to see a Solar Eclipse ever since I was in Australia when the UK had an eclipse in 1999!
Iceland looks likely to be too cloudy. Various parts of Northern Spain are an option. We’re looking at Majorca probably with the only concern that the eclipse will be very low in the sky.
Best one to see will be 2027
In Spain the eclipse is just before sunset so you need a very good unobstructed view of the horizon.
Best one to see will be 2027
In Spain the eclipse is just before sunset so you need a very good unobstructed view of the horizon.
Yes, so thinking of hiring a car in Majorca and driving to a west facing coast.
Interesting point about the 2027 eclipse. Is there any other reason it’s better or just the fact of the 2026 eclipse in Spain being close to sunset?
2027
Will have a maximum total eclipse of over 6 minutes, with a 100% chance of no clouds in Egypt. Plenty of scope to be in different regions or even different countries as several countries will be covered so plenty of options of sites depending on your travel itnerary. One negative, it will be HOT as it’s around midday!Spain
Maximum total eclipse is 1 minute 36 seconds. Very close to sunset. Not much room to move around to stay in the path if there is cloud cover.Best one to see will be 2027
In Spain the eclipse is just before sunset so you need a very good unobstructed view of the horizon.
Yes, so thinking of hiring a car in Majorca and driving to a west facing coast.
Interesting point about the 2027 eclipse. Is there any other reason it’s better or just the fact of the 2026 eclipse in Spain being close to sunset?
Spain
Maximum Totality 1 minute 36 seconds at near to Sunset. Cloud cover a possibilty.2027
Maximum Totality 6 minutes 22 seconds. High in the sky. Cloud cover NILOK, fair points!
Yes but near sunset in 26 in Spain should be quite spectacular and if you go somewhere you would go for holibobs anyway ie west facing on a Balearic island as we will then your hopefully killing two birds with one stone.
August in Egypt sounds horrible weather wise for a holiday so I’d say no on that reason alone. There could of course be a sandstorm! Nowts guaranteed.
Yes but near sunset in 26 in Spain should be quite spectacular and if you go somewhere you would go for holibobs anyway ie west facing on a Balearic island as we will then your hopefully killing two birds with one stone.
I agree in that I would incorporate another activity-ie holiday- to an area where the eclipse may be seen.
However in Spain as totality is only 90 seconds then if a cloud appears at that time then there’s little leeway for it to clear in 90 seconds.
Also the sun at sunset is not as bright as midday so the eclipse is not as effective if it was the midday sunAugust in Egypt sounds horrible weather wise for a holiday so I’d say no on that reason alone. There could of course be a sandstorm! Nowts guaranteed.
If you have never been to Luxor etc then this could be the time to go, however it will be HOT and ££££££, but you may see a 6 minute eclipse. Longest for quite a while
However there are several countries covered so the choice is quite large.
A 90 second eclipse is 90 seconds more full eclipse than most people see in a lifetime.
The eclipse in northwest Spain is also not “just before sunset”, it’s a full hour before sunset (or, as it is known in Spain, lunch time).
Weather of course could be bad, but cloud cover in August is more likely in the morning than late afternoon. The mountains part of the text linked is a total red herring. Surely if you go to Spain to see the eclipse you then go to somewhere where you can see the sun?A 90 second eclipse is 90 seconds more full eclipse than most people see in a lifetime.
The eclipse in northwest Spain is also not “just before sunset”, it’s a full hour before sunset (or, as it is known in Spain, lunch time).
Weather of course could be bad, but cloud cover in August is more likely in the morning than late afternoon. The mountains part of the text linked is a total red herring. Surely if you go to Spain to see the eclipse you then go to somewhere where you can see the sun?Not sure which link you were looking at but Spain has details of the pros and cons of the locations.
I was not refering to NW Spain when I said the eclipse was just before sunset.
If I was to go-I am not- I would go to Palma for a weeks holiday around the time of the eclipse.
As the expert you can make your own mind up. I have merely provided links to credible sources.
That’s the only link in this thread about the 26 eclipse, so of course it was that one. *facepalm*
You should be planning to see both!
2026 – I am making a hotel booking near Oviedo as N coast would be my preferred viewing spot. However, I’m doing a recce next month to identify plan B and plan C viewing points along the path should the coast be cloudy. Some eclipse tours are basing themselves inland so I assume (though I am doing my due diligence) that the sun will be high enough to be unobstructed if you get the right spot in the more mountainous areas. I think a partially eclipsed sunset would be quite cool, and I’m not convinced that a total eclipse close to sunset is less effective than darkness at noon. A 99.99% eclipsed sun is so completely different from totality that if you’ve got a full disk there to be eclipsed it will be amazing.
2027 – yes, it’s a lot longer, yes getting a good view and reliable weather will be less complicated. My plan is Tunisia.That’s the only link in this thread about the 26 eclipse, so of course it was that one. *facepalm*
When you’re sober-Look again.
The north of Spain in general is very, very cloudy.
Oviedo on average has an hour of sun less per day than London.I went to the English south coast eclipse a couple of decades ago and it was cloudy. It was also, frankly, astonishing. People who watched the partial from London were “meh”. I subsequently booked a trip to Africa to see the next one, in clear skies. I’m looking to go to northern Spain next year.
Correct, a cloudy total eclipse is astonishing; a clear 95% eclipse is barely worth looking at, never mind travelling for. HfP eclipse/rioja meet-up?
Genuine question (having never experienced a solar eclipse), in what way is a cloudy eclipse astonishing?
It will get dark still, but a weird kind of dark. If cloud cover is light, clouds are also likely to start to dissipate.
And the world around you will change massively, birds will go berserk e.g. On the 1999 one (probably the same one @memesweeper is mentioning) I was in a garden north of Paris where the sprinklers apparently were light activated*, so when it started to get dark hundreds of people around me got soaking wet 😀 (*or someone turned them on!)That said a 95% is well worth looking at still.
This site could be useful for planning even if staying in the UK where c91% is covered.
Towards the bottom of the webpage is a list of countries, each contains a long list of individual cities with predictions for each including an animation.
It will get dark still, but a weird kind of dark. If cloud cover is light, clouds are also likely to start to dissipate.
And the world around you will change massively, birds will go berserk e.g. On the 1999 one (probably the same one @memesweeper is mentioning) I was in a garden north of Paris where the sprinklers apparently were light activated*, so when it started to get dark hundreds of people around me got soaking wet 😀 (*or someone turned them on!)That said a 95% is well worth looking at still.
I watched daisy’s close up on the grass in front of me, for instance.
This site could be useful for planning even if staying in the UK where c91% is covered.
Towards the bottom of the webpage is a list of countries, each contains a long list of individual cities with predictions for each including an animation.
That’s a great website; thanks for sharing.
Seriously, please don’t make a plan to watch a partial eclipse. You’ve got one of the most incredible sights on the planet… or it could go a bit gloomy in your garden. Visit the Colosseum or build the Lego model? Shall we go to the grand canyon? Nah, I fancy Cheddar Gorge. Insert your own chalk/cheese metaphor, but if you have the slightest interest in an eclipse make sure you get to the path of totality. This is probably my go-to website: https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/solar/2026-august-12
Thinking about someone watching a partial eclipse makes me feel sad.The sunsets around Baiona are spectacular and largely uninterrupted as you have nothing in front of you except the Atlantic ocean. In June it’s light till nearly 11 pm. The summer weather has been less predictable in the last couple of decades, however, so there would be a risk of clouds.
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