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The most breathtaking photos of the total solar eclipse

Photographers in Spain captured spectacular images of the rare alignment of the moon and the sun, as it cast a dark shadow over much of the country
The Sun's corona glows as the Moon completely blocks the Sun during the totality phase of the total solar eclipse as seen from Berlanga de Duero, 240 km north-east of Madrid, on August 12, 2026. Millions of Europeans contemplated the sky in awe today during a rare total solar eclipse that will plunge a swathe of Spain into an eerie daytime darkness. The shadow cast when the Moon covers the Sun began in Russia's remote Arctic north at around 1700 GMT and continued in an arc through Greenland and Iceland. Spain is where most people viewed the total eclipse, which crossed the country diagonally from the northern Atlantic coast to the Mediterranean Sea, where it vanished at around 1830 GMT. (Photo by Oscar DEL POZO / AFP via Getty Images)
Oscar DEL POZO/AFP via Getty Images

Millions of people got a rare glimpse of a total solar eclipse on 12 August, as the moon aligned perfectly with Earth and the sun to cast a shadow that passed over Siberia, the Arctic, Greenland, Iceland and northern Spain. It was the first total solar eclipse visible from Earth since early 2024.

Spain was the most populous region from which the total eclipse was visible, with the eclipse path passing across the country diagonally from the northern Atlantic coast to the Mediterranean Sea in the late afternoon of 12 August. The photo above was taken in Berlanga de Duero, 240 kilometres north-east of Madrid.

REUTERS/Christian Hartmann

Observers at the Galactica astronomy centre in Teruel, Spain, were caught perfectly framed in this image. Although much of Spain saw a total eclipse, there was also a chance to witness a partial eclipse of around 90 per cent in Ireland, the UK, France, Italy and some parts of the north of Africa.

2026 Total Solar Eclipse This composite image shows the progression of a total solar eclipse over San Mill?n de los Caballeros, Spain, on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026. A total solar eclipse swept across parts of Greenland, Iceland, northern Russia, the Atlantic Ocean, Spain, and a small corner of Portugal. A partial eclipse was visible in parts of the U.S., most of Canada, much of Europe, and northwest Africa. Image Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
NASA/Bill Ingalls

This composite image shows the progression of the eclipse from partial to total and back to partial again, over San Millán de los Caballeros, Spain.

Gongora/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Another composite image shows the total solar eclipse over the Mediterranean Sea, seen from Mallorca, Spain. It was the first such event visible from the country in over a century, with totality lasting around a minute.

German Lama/Europa Press via Getty Images

A boat is captured here in line with the sun and the moon off the island of Ibiza.

REUTERS/Borja Suarez

The incredibly sharp collection of images above show the eclipse at various stages from Arija, Spain.

Spain will, surprisingly, see another total eclipse next year, on 2 August, along with Morocco, Algeria, Libya and Saudi Arabia.

Topics: Astronomy