A total solar eclipse on Aug. 12, 2026 will pass over eastern Greenland, western Iceland and northern Spain. But for much of Europe—and parts of northwest Africa—a different kind of drama is guaranteed: a deep partial solar eclipse at sunset visible across doz
On August 12, 2026, the sky over Europe won’t just dim—it will reshape itself at the edge of night.
A total solar eclipse will be visible in eastern Greenland, western Iceland and northern Spain. Eclipse chasers are already lining up for that relatively short but ultimately dramatic totality.
But what many people—especially those who won’t travel to the path of totality—may overlook is the scale of what’s happening beyond it. Across almost the entire continent, a massive partial solar eclipse will stretch through the evening sky. And in several countries, the real show happens at sunset.
Even rarer than a standard partial event, a partially eclipsed sunset will be visible in France, Belgium, Germany, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Russia, Finland, Ukraine, Slovakia, Austria, Croatia, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Italy, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Albania.
In Northwest Africa, similar views await Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Algeria, Tunisia, Mali, Senegal, the Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, the Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso.
This is the kind of moment that pulls people outdoors early and keeps them watching long after the first dimming. Still, where you stand matters—especially if you want the clearest “eclipsed sunset” look.
The black line on an eclipse map marks where maximum partial eclipse will happen at sunset. In Warsaw, Poland, for example, the sun will be 83% eclipsed—the maximum there—as it sets.
For locations just east of the black line, the sun sets before the partial eclipse ends. Just to the west, sunset occurs as the partial eclipse deepens. If you’re trying to catch the deep partial eclipse at sunset. the advice is straightforward: position yourself west of the black line. Being on the line or just east of it also works. but being close to the line on the northwest side is ideal.
Even so, there’s a detail that can trip up first-time planners. Michael Zeiler. eclipse cartographer. said: “People living along the black sunset line will experience a beautiful deep partial eclipse at sunset.” He added that some ideal locations to see it over water are Algiers. Corsica. the Italian coast by the Ligurian Sea. and Venice. He also pointed to high alpine spots in eastern Austria for a dramatic sunset “— a photographer’s dream.”.
Then came the practical warning, tied to how eclipse maps are drawn. Stephen Trainor at The Photographer’s Ephemeris explained that eclipse maps calculate the lines for geometric sunset—“when the middle of the sun is at the true horizon. ” ignoring refraction. Because of that. he said. “the line isn’t the line because refraction lifts the sun a little bit up.” The result is that you may be able to “creep a little bit the ‘wrong’ side of the line” and still capture the sun.
The deeper, partially eclipsed sunset is also a timing-sensitive spectacle. The sites listed for Europe show maximum obscuration about 10-15 minutes before sunset.
There’s another visual clue in how the sun appears as it sets. From Europe, the crescent sun will set “horns down”— described as a “sad face” (or upside-down “smiley face”).
For Europe, the selected places and their published maximum obscuration timings are:
Village d’Occi, Corsica, France (96% at 8:25 p.m. CEST, 24% chance of cloud, according to Timeanddate.com)
La Spezia, Ligurian Sea, Italy (94% at 8:22 p.m. CEST, 43% chance of cloud)
Modena, Italy (92% at 8:21 p.m. CEST, 38% chance of cloud)
Venice, Italy (91% at 8:19 p.m. CEST, 43% chance of cloud)
Kitzsteinhorn, Austria (89% at 8:16 p.m. CEST, 68% chance of cloud)
Olympiaberg, Munich, Germany (88% at 8:15 p.m. CEST, 61% chance of cloud)
Letná Park, Prague, Czechia (86% at 8:11 p.m. CEST, 65% chance of cloud)
Ostrów Tumski, Wrocław, Poland (84% at 8:09 p.m. CEST, 66% chance of cloud)
Warsaw, Poland (83% at 8:02 p.m. CEST, 61% chance of cloud)
Kaunas, Lithuania (81% at 8:56 p.m. EEST, 66% chance of cloud)
Lilastes pludmale, Gulf of Riga, Latvia (80% at 8:57 p.m. EEST, 63% chance of cloud).
Across northwest Africa, maximum obscuration is expected no more than 30 minutes before sunset, with the sunset line largely passing through the remote Sahara Desert. From Africa, the crescent will slip beneath the horizon in the shape of the letter “C.”
The selected African sites are:
Cape Matifou, Tamentfoust, Algeria (98.5% at 7:42 p.m. CET, 49% chance of cloud)
Essaouira, Morocco (81% at 7:47 p.m. WEST, 15% chance of cloud)
Dakar, Senegal (37% at 7:12 p.m. GMT, 82% chance of cloud)
Banjul, Gambia (34% at 7:13 p.m. GMT, 80% chance of cloud)
Spain’s totality adds a second layer to the planning. On Aug. 12, mainland Spain will host a path of totality for the first time since 1905. The path is about 182 miles (293 km) wide and will just miss Barcelona and Madrid.
Some eclipse chasers will target a totally eclipsed sun a few degrees above the horizon—minutes from sunset—from the Balearic Islands (Mallorca, Ibiza, Menorca, and Formentera). That view depends on a clear horizon.
But in parts of Spain, the sequence changes: a partially eclipsed sunset can follow totality.
Watching from Spain’s Meseta region—including Burgos and León—means totality arrives first, then a partial eclipse that finishes minutes before sunset.
In Soria, Sigüenza, Zaragoza, Teruel, and farther east toward the coast, observers will see totality and then a partially eclipsed sunset. The farther east you are, the more eclipsed the sun will be as it sinks into the horizon.
For anyone planning a trip around the eclipsed sunset, the rule is hard and simple: an unobstructed, low western horizon is essential. Clear skies matter because even distant clouds can block the view of sunset.
One suggested way to find horizon-friendly vantage points is to search for “sunset spots near [location] in August” to get recommendations from locals and tourists.
Trainor also urged people to treat the day as something you can rehearse. He said: “go out and scout the location two or three nights before so you can develop an alternative if it’s not going to pan out on the ground.” He advised using both his precision planning tool—helping photographers visualize the sun. moon. and natural light—and a “sanity check” on Google Street View to confirm a shot is possible.
Weather will test everyone’s patience. Forecasts can be checked three days before Aug. 12, when predictions become fairly reliable. Still, Trainor’s warning about timing extends to cloud too: predicting low clouds along the horizon is tough.
In practice, that means clear weather may need to hold for many hundreds of miles to the west-northwest.
By the time Aug. 12 arrives, the decision won’t be only whether you can travel to totality. For millions who remain outside the total eclipse path. the question becomes where the west-northwest horizon will be clear enough—so the deep partial eclipse can take shape. right where the sunset is usually taken for granted.
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