Why Americans Cannot Ignore August’s Total Solar Eclipse

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The path of totality for the total solar eclipse on Wednesday, Aug. 12, will not cross North America, but Americans still have two big reasons to care about that date: a partial solar eclipse will be visible from parts of the U.S. and Canada, and the same night also brings the annual peak of the Perseid meteor shower. For skywatchers in parts of North America, it could be one of the best astronomy double-headers of the year, with a solar eclipse followed by the year’s best display of shooting stars.

In this composite of eight photographs, the moon passes by the sun into totality and away again during a total solar eclipse in Bloomington, Indiana, on April 8, 2024. This year's path of totality is 115 miles (185 kilometers) wide and home to nearly 32 million Americans, with an additional 150 million living less than 200 miles from the strip. The next total solar eclipse that can be seen from a large part of North America won't come around until 2044. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP) (Photo by JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images)

AFP via Getty Images

Key Facts

A total solar eclipse will be seen from a 180-mile-wide path of totality across eastern Greenland, western Iceland and northern Spain, where the moon’s umbral shadow will touch Earth. In those places, day will briefly turn to twilight and, in a clear sky, the sun’s corona will become visible around the moon for up to 2 minutes 18 seconds.

Unlike the April 8, 2024 “Great American Eclipse,” no part of North America will experience totality on Aug. 12, when only the moons fuzzy penumbral shadow will strike. However, millions of people in eastern Canada and the northeastern U.S. will still see the moon take a visible bite out of the sun.

Eclipse glasses that comply with ISO 12312-2 must be used whenever looking directly at the sun. Binoculars, cameras and telescopes also need secure front-mounted solar filters.

The Perseid meteor shower will peak overnight on Aug. 12-13, with the best views expected from Dark Sky Places, Dark-Sky Preserves (Canada), Starlight Reserves and anywhere that looks dark on a light pollution map. The hours after midnight will be favored, when about 50 “shooting stars” per hour may be visible.

A total solar eclipse occurs for somewhere on Earth roughly every 16 months, but at any one place they are very rare, often returning only once every few centuries.

The solar eclipse of Aug. 12, 2026, showing the path of totality (yellow) and wider region of the partial eclipse, which includes parts of North America. Map by eclipse cartographer Michael Zeiler at EclipseAtlas.com.

Michael Zeiler/EclipseAtlas.com

SOLAR ECLIPSE 2026: WHAT AMERICANS WILL SEE

In the U.S., the farther northeast you are, the bigger the partial eclipse you’ll see. Maine gets the deepest eclipse in the contiguous U.S., with Presque Isle seeing about 28% of the sun covered at 1:50 p.m. EDT and Bangor seeing about 23% at 1:53 p.m. EDT. Meanwhile, Boston will see about 16% at 1:55 p.m. EDT, while New York City will see about 10% at 1:54 p.m. EDT. Alaska gets arguably the best U.S. view, with Fairbanks seeing about 37% of the sun covered at 8:27 a.m. AKDT.

SOLAR ECLIPSE 2026: WHAT CANADIANS WILL SEE

The biggest partial eclipse in North America will be seen from far northern Canada, with Iqaluit in Nunavut seeing about 61% of the sun blocked by the moon at 1:24 p.m. EDT. In even more remote parts of Nunavut near Greenland, the eclipse will be much deeper. Atlantic Canada also gets a terrific view. St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, will see about 53% of the sun covered at 3:34 p.m. NDT, while Halifax, Nova Scotia, gets about 31% at 3:00 p.m. ADT.

SOLAR ECLIPSE 2026: WHY IT WILL NOT GET DARK

A partial solar eclipse is not a diluted version of totality — it is a completely different experience. Even when a large part of the sun is covered, the remaining sunlight is still intense. In the northeastern U.S., daylight will not noticeably fade, and the sun will never be safe to view without protection. During this event in North America, there is no moment when it will be safe to look at the sun with the naked eye. Since it occurs in daylight, light pollution will have zero effect on the solar eclipse. However, considering what happens later that night, it may be wise to camp out under as dark a sky as possible.

SOLAR ECLIPSE 2026: THE PERSEID METERO SHOWER PEAKS

Aug. 12 offers a rare chance to watch a solar eclipse in the afternoon, then see meteors after midnight as the Perseid meteor shower reaches its peak under a moonless night sky. Good options in the northeastern U.S. include Acadia National Park in Maine, Cherry Springs State Park in Pennsylvania and the Adirondacks in New York, while darker Canadian sites include Fundy National Park, Kejimkujik National Park and Gros Morne National Park.

SOLAR ECLIPSE 2026: BACKGROUND

A total solar eclipse is possible only because the sun is about 400 times larger than the moon, but also about 400 times farther away, making them appear the same size in the sky. Solar and lunar eclipses happen because the moon’s orbit is tilted by about five degrees to Earth’s orbital plane. Most months, the moon passes above or below the sun from our point of view. Only when the new moon crosses one of its orbital nodes can a solar eclipse occur. However, where you are on the planet hugely affects your view. This time, North America will miss totality, but for anyone who still has eclipse glasses from the major solar eclipses on the continent in 2017, 2023 and 2024, Aug. 12 deserves a place on the calendar.