Iceland · Northern Spain · Balearic Islands
The compass bearing is the key variable most guides don’t publish. It determines which direction your viewpoint must face to see totality. Iceland WSW 251° · N Spain W 280° · Balearics WNW 287°.
| Region | Sun at totality altitude & compass bearing |
Cloud odds | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🇮🇸 Western Iceland Approx 17:43-17:50 GMT (mid-to-late afternoon; sunset is not until roughly 22:00) | WSW bearing (251°) 25° altitude at mid-totality Sun is high enough that terrain blocking is a secondary concern and totality can be glimpsed through gaps in cloud. | High — risky Iceland in August is frequently cloudy. Expert guidance is unanimous: be mobile on eclipse day and use Icelandic Met Office cloud forecasts. One eclipse tour operator characterises Iceland as roughly a 40% chance of seeing it; treat that as an expert estimate, not a measured statistic. |
Higher sun, worse cloud odds. The scenic and emotional prize; the riskier bet. |
| 🇪🇸 Northern Spanish coast (Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria) Approx 20:26-20:28 CEST | W bearing (280°) 10° altitude at mid-totality An unobstructed view to the WEST is mandatory. Hills, forest or buildings on the western horizon will hide totality entirely. | Moderate Better than Iceland, but the cloudiest part of the Spanish track. Marine moisture and the Cordillera Cantabrica drive cloud. Be prepared to move inland. |
Longest durations in Spain (up to ~1m50s) and open sea horizons, but the cloudiest Spanish option. |
| 🇪🇸 Ebro Valley (Zaragoza / Huesca) Approx 20:29 CEST (Zaragoza city centre) | — Between the ~10 deg north-coast figure and the ~3-4 deg Balearic figure; no precise per-site value verified. Left null rather than estimated. | Low — good odds The strongest weather bet on the entire track. Cloud climatology dips below 30%. Reported clear on 18 of the last 21 August 12ths. Cross-check against Eclipsophile before relying on the 18/21 figure - it comes from a secondary source. |
Best clear-sky odds anywhere on the path. The trade-off is a shorter totality (~1m24s in Zaragoza) and a lower sun. |
| 🇪🇸 Balearic Islands (Mallorca, Ibiza, Menorca) Approx 20:31-20:33 CEST | WNW bearing (287.1°) 2.6° altitude at mid-totality A sunset eclipse. With the sun only a few degrees up, ANY western obstruction is fatal to the view. A sea horizon to the west is effectively required. | Low — good odds Among the best weather prospects on the whole path, especially on the coasts. |
The most dramatic version of this eclipse - a totally eclipsed sun sinking into the sea - and the highest-risk sightline. |
| 🇬🇱 Eastern Greenland (Scoresby Sund) Expedition cruise only | — Not verified. Left null. | Low — good odds Counter-intuitively strong. Katabatic winds off the icecap tend to clear the fjord skies. Analysis of 21 years of satellite imagery found the eclipse would have been visible in clear skies on 13 of 21 dates and through thin cloud on 4 more - an 80% success rate. |
Statistically the best odds on the path, but effectively reachable only by expedition cruise ship. Up to 2m16s of totality in Scoresby Sund. |
Totality is only visible from the narrow Greenland–Iceland–Spain corridor. But partial eclipse visibility extends much further — a significant fraction of the sun will be covered for a much larger audience that afternoon.
Eye protection required throughout. Outside the path of totality, the sun is never fully covered — ISO 12312-2 eclipse glasses are required for the entire event, from first contact to last. Never look at a partially eclipsed sun without them.
Every one of these traps has already caught eclipse chasers planning for August 12. These are the highest-intent answers on this page.
The path tracks just north of Madrid. A few small areas at the far northern edge of the city clip the path, but almost all of Madrid sees a partial eclipse only. Madrid is however an excellent base: the A-1 and A-2 motorways reach the centreline.
Barcelona sits just outside the northern edge. It is a short drive to the path - Tarragona, roughly an hour south, gets about 1 minute of totality.
Palma is inside the path and gets about 1m36s of totality - but the Serra de Tramuntana mountains lie to the WEST of the city, and with the sun only a few degrees above the horizon they are expected to block any actual view of the eclipsed sun. Observers must relocate to a west- or southwest-facing coastal site.
Bilbao is technically inside the path but sits right on its northern edge. Expect roughly 0m29s in the city centre, versus 1m48s in Oviedo. Several widely-shared guides quote a much longer figure for Bilbao; they are wrong.
About 1m03s, versus 1m45s in nearby Gijon. Worth driving west.
For Valencia, Castellon and Tarragona, the instinct is to head to the beach. But the sun will NOT be setting over the Mediterranean - you need a clear view of the WESTERN horizon, which is inland. A seafront facing east or southeast is useless.
Across most of the inland and Mediterranean track, sunset arrives before the final partial phase ends. Plan for a compressed event, not a leisurely one.
Latrabjarg offers the longest totality on land (~2m13s) and is expected to draw crowds. The access roads are narrow and hazardous. Authorities have discussed closing the area to private cars and bussing visitors in. Verify access arrangements before committing.
At totality the Sun sits at bearing 287 degrees (WNW), only about 2.6 degrees above the horizon. Port d'Andratx's harbour opens to the SOUTHWEST, so the required WNW sightline crosses land. Despite a healthy 1m37s of totality on paper, this is not a safe bet. Go to the northwest coast instead.
Soller sits in a valley ringed by the Serra de Tramuntana. With the Sun at 2.4 degrees on a WNW bearing, the surrounding peaks are all but certain to hide totality completely. The 1m34s duration is astronomically real and practically unviewable from the valley floor.
9 researched locations across Iceland and Spain. Where timing shows “use Jubier map”, NASA has no published figure for that exact coordinate — use the Xavier Jubier interactive map for precise local circumstances at your specific coordinates.
Recommended by Icelandic science communicator Saevar Helgi Bragason as the best place in Reykjavik to watch the Moon's shadow approach. Open sea aspect; already a well-known aurora site. TIDE WARNING: the causeway to the lighthouse floods at high tide - check tide tables.
Nearly 40 seconds more totality than downtown Reykjavik, and only about 10 km from Keflavik International Airport. Flat, open coastal headland with unobstructed ocean views. The strongest duration-per-effort option for anyone flying in.
Over two minutes of totality - among the longest available anywhere on land - inside Snaefellsjokull National Park, with the glacier-capped volcano as a backdrop. Sea cliffs with a wide-open ocean aspect.
Basalt columns, sea arches and just over two minutes of totality. Adjacent to Hellnar; the two share a coastal walking path, which spreads crowds across a wider area than a single car park.
THE LONGEST TOTALITY ON LAND ANYWHERE ON THIS ECLIPSE - approximately 2m13s, just 5 seconds short of the global maximum (which falls at sea). Europe's westernmost point, famous for puffins. ACCESS WARNING: unpaved, narrow, hazardous roads; authorities have discussed restricting private vehicles and bussing visitors in. Verify access before committing.
The northernmost point of Asturias, close to the eclipse centreline. Nearest published cities: Luanco 20:26:42 CEST / 1m45s and Aviles 20:26:48 CEST / 1m47s. Exact spot-level time and duration NOT published - do not interpolate; direct users to the Xavier Jubier interactive map for their precise coordinates.
Dramatic clifftop headland already known locally as a sunset viewpoint - a promising sign for a low western sun, but NOT formally verified. Nearest published city Luarca: 20:26:53 CEST / 1m50s, among the longest durations in Spain. Google Maps pin accuracy has been disputed in user reviews - verify coordinates on the ground.
UNESCO World Heritage Roman lighthouse on an Atlantic headland - the oldest working lighthouse in the world, watching a total eclipse. Strong open ocean aspect. Caveat: A Coruna is near the southern edge of the path, so totality is only ~1m16s versus ~1m48s in Oviedo. Also the cloudiest stretch of the Spanish track. SITE HOURS: the tower complex has published opening hours - the eclipse falls at 20:27, close to an 20:00 closing time. VERIFY whether the grounds will be open.
BEST MALLORCA CANDIDATE. A 16th-century clifftop watchtower on the Ma-10 along Mallorca's NORTHWEST coast - the aspect the 287-degree WNW sun bearing actually requires. Long-established sunset viewpoint with an open Mediterranean horizon. Elevated clifftop position adds horizon dip. Caveat: small roadside parking only; expect it to be overwhelmed. Reviews report vehicle break-ins - do not leave valuables in cars. Exact totality timing not in the NASA city table; left null.
Essential tools to verify timing and horizon clearance at your chosen location.
August 12 is the most concentrated single-night sky event of 2026. The same New Moon that creates totality creates perfect Perseid conditions after dark.
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