Skip to main content

Watch Live: Total solar eclipse darkens skies across Northern Hemisphere

▶ Watch Video: CBS News 24/7

The only total solar eclipse of 2026 has people looking to the skies as darkness falls across part of the Northern Hemisphere on Wednesday. Crowds have gathered all across Europe to see it, with northern Spain a peak viewing location in the path of totality.

First, if you’ve never had the opportunity to see a solar eclipse, what you are watching is the moon passing in front of the sun. It occurs somewhere on Earth about every 18 months, but in any one particular spot on the globe they could happen hundreds of years apart.

Here’s what to know about when and where to see the total solar eclipse:

Where will the solar eclipse be visible?

Many of the best places to view totality are not inhabited, like northern Greenland. But western Iceland and northern Spain are also on the path of totality for a peak eclipse experience. 

In Spain, they have not experienced a total solar eclipse since 1905.

This animation from NASA shows the path of totality for the eclipse, along with the time when it will cross those areas: 

Even though totality will be visible in only a few populated regions, a partial solar eclipse will be visible in a much wider area. About 230 million people will be able to see 90% totality, according to population data from the Center for International Earth Science Information Network at Columbia University.

Most major cities in Europe will see at least 90% totality, including Madrid, London and Paris.

Total Solar Eclipse Seen Over Spain For First Time Since 1905
The beginning of the solar eclipse is seen in Palencia, Spain. 

Leon Neal / Getty Images

Even some of North America will get a chance to see a partial solar eclipse, though it won’t be nearly as impressive as when the U.S. got to see a total eclipse in 2024. The best place to see it in the U.S. is in Fairbanks, Alaska, where it will reach 37% totality.

Boston will see 16% totality, while New York City will see about 9% totality, Toronto will see about 8% and Philadelphia will see 7%. 

What time does the eclipse happen?

Since the eclipse is crossing just the northern part of the globe, the path of totality will be fairly short from start to finish, about an hour and 45 minutes.

The first glimpse of the total eclipse became visible in extreme northern Russia at 17:00 UTC, which is 1 p.m. Eastern time.

It reached northeast Greenland by 1:30 p.m. ET and western Iceland by about 1:45 p.m. ET (totality came at exactly 5:48 p.m. local time in Reykjavík).

After crossing the northern Atlantic for 45 minutes — when it will be best visible in the U.K., with London reaching its max of 91% at 2:13 p.m. ET (7:13 p.m. local time) — totality will reach northern Spain at about 2:30 p.m. ET (exactly 8:32 p.m. local time in Valencia).

The whole path will be over by 2:45 p.m. ET.

eclipse-map-20260812.jpg
The path of totality in the 2026 solar eclipse crosses parts of Greenland, Iceland and northern Spain.

NASA

For those in North America seeing a partial eclipse, it will be most full in Toronto at 1:40 p.m. and New York City at 1:54 p.m. local time. In Fairbanks, you’d need to get up early to see its fullest point at 8:27 a.m. local time.

How do I watch the eclipse in person?

If you are lucky enough to be in one of the locations where the solar eclipse reaches totality, it will last for about two minutes. 

You will need to wear solar eclipse glasses to safely view the sun during the event to protect your retinas from damage. You can take your glasses off for the brief period when it’s at totality.

If you’re outside the path of totality but lucky enough to at least get a partial eclipse, you’ll have to leave those glasses on the whole time to avoid eye damage.

NETHERLANDS-ASTRONOMY-HEALTH
A woman tries out eclipse glasses in Almelo, eastern Netherlands, on Aug. 11, 2026, on the eve of the solar eclipse. 

Vincent Jannink / ANP /AFP via Getty Images

When is the next total solar eclipse in the U.S.?

If hearing about the total solar eclipse in Europe gets you excited for the next one in the U.S., you have some time to wait.

The next total solar eclipse over the U.S. will be in 2044, but that one will only be visible in three states: Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota. 

The next year, there will be another opportunity visible in many states as it moves from coast to coast. The eclipse will start in Northern California and move in an arc toward the east, ending in Florida, similar to one in 2017. There will be numerous U.S. cities where eclipse watchers can view the total eclipse, including Reno, Nevada; Colorado Springs; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Little Rock, Arkansas; Jackson, Mississippi; and Orlando, Florida.

There will be another in 2052 that crosses the Southeast, including Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.

To see a total eclipse in the northeastern U.S., you’ll have to wait all the way until May 1, 2079.

How to watch coverage of the 2026 total solar eclipse

  • What: Total solar eclipse across parts of the Northern Hemisphere
  • Date: Aug. 12, 2026
  • Time: Live coverage begins at 2 p.m. ET
  • Location: The path of totality stretches from extreme northern Russia across parts of Greenland, Iceland and Spain. Most major cities in Europe will see at least 90% totality, including Madrid, London and Paris. CBS News live streaming coverage will feature Rob Marciano in Mallorca, Spain, where totality hits at about 2:30 p.m. ET.
  • Online stream: Live on CBS News in the video player above and on your mobile or streaming device

Democrats intensify scrutiny of David Ellison amid Paramount–WBD legal battle

By CNN
(CNN) — As Paramount pushes to settle the state antitrust lawsuit that has stymied its deal to buy Warner Bros. Discovery, Democratic lawmakers continue to rally opposition to the deal.On Wednesday, Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, sent a new letter to Paramount CEO David Ellison accusing him of “colluding” with President Trump and urging him to answer questions.A Paramount spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.The letter highlights Democrats’ concerns about Paramount taking control of Warner-owned CNN. It comes the same week that Paramount chief legal officer Makan Delrahim said of CNN that Ellison “wants to bring it back to news,” a comment that raised eyebrows given that the network has been a global news brand for 46 years.The letter, which was obtained first by CNN, also suggests that Paramount’s dealings with the Trump administration — a relationship Raskin has called “corrupt” — will be a priority for the Judiciary Committee if Democrats regain the House majority in the midterm elections.Raskin opened the missive by acknowledging that Paramount has not responded to his four previous inquiries in the past 12 months.But “now that you have vowed to break your long silence,” he wrote, citing Ellison’s op-ed in The New York Times last week, “I invite you to a transcribed interview to tell Congress and America your story and answer the Committee’s questions about your Donald Trump-enabled shopping spree to consolidate news organizations, movie studios, cable channels, and streaming services.”With Republicans in control of the House, Democrats like Raskin can’t compel Ellison to testify, so the interview demand is a way to amplify his concerns about the deal.The new letter cites reports of “political interference” at Paramount-owned CBS News, which the news division has disputed.“CBS’s own reporters have shared how, under your leadership, the newsroom has catered to President Trump’s political whims and dictates under the watchful eye of a MAGA minder,” Raskin wrote, apparently referring to the accounts of fired “60 Minutes” correspondents.Ellison wrote in the Times op-ed, “Great news organizations like CNN and CBS News are here to tell it straight down the middle. That requires newsrooms that reflect the whole world, not one side of it. And it requires independence. Our journalists will continue to answer to the facts and to all the people they serve — not to any party or cause.”Ellison’s op-ed made no mention of Trump, who has been a pivotal figure throughout the nearly year-long battle for control of Warner Bros. Discovery.Paramount sought a close relationship with Trump and his administration while seeking federal approval of the WBD merger.Ellison’s father Larry, the billionaire Oracle co-founder, has been a close ally of Trump’s for years. Trump has praised both father and son, calling them his “supporters” and expressing confidence in their plans for CBS. Trump has also been outspoken about his desire for CNN to come under new ownership, calling it “imperative.”Raskin’s letter cites an anonymously sourced report from the Wall Street Journal that “David Ellison offered assurances to Trump administration officials that if he bought Warner, he’d make sweeping changes to CNN.”Raskin wrote to Ellison, “You have eagerly shown the president that you are going to deliver on both counts as if you are controlling organs of state media.”The letter also indicated that a Democrat-led Judiciary Committee would probe the Justice Department’s mid-June approval of the Paramount merger, which many critics linked to Trump’s personal interest in the deal.Raskin said the committee would scrutinize whether federal agencies “are successfully promoting free competition and innovation—or whether they are using their governmental powers to distort the market and undermine freedom of speech and freedom of the press, in violation of the First Amendment.”Other Democratic lawmakers have also foreshadowed public hearings and probes about the matter and have supported the state attorneys general lawsuit seeking to stop Paramount’s expansion plan.Sen. Elizabeth Warren wrote in a social media post on Tuesday, “The Paramount–WBD merger isn’t about creating better entertainment. It’s about cutting costs & squeezing workers. Writers, actors, and crew will have fewer employers to work for, which means less bargaining power & lower wages. State AGs are stepping in to fight back.”Paramount has consistently said the deal is pro-competitive, pointing to the regulatory approvals from the Justice Department and other authorities around the world.But the deal is frozen in place due to the state antitrust lawsuit and a parallel lawsuit from the Writers Guild of America.Facing an uphill battle in court, Paramount agreed not to complete the merger until a trial is held or until June 1, 2027. A trial is slated to be held in March, though a settlement is possible before then.Speaking at a Politico conference on Tuesday, Delrahim said “we would be delighted to engage” in settlement talks “in order to repair the industry, create more jobs, bring more jobs and production back.”California Attorney General Rob Bonta said at the same conference that “we will be open to any proposals,” but “right now, we’re focused on litigation and going to trial.”Both men also addressed a report by Puck’s Matt Belloni that Ellison told Paramount’s leadership team that he intends to move the company out of California if the antitrust case isn’t settled by October 1. Ellison has notably not made this threat in public, and Paramount has declined to comment on the report.Delrahim said Paramount doesn’t want to leave the state, but the company has to ”look at the business environment” and “ultimately, you know, go to a place where you’re wanted.”Bonta, speaking earlier in the day, said the leave-California threat “is an attempt to blackmail the regulators who are daring to enforce the law fairly and firmly.”Delrahim said it is not a blackmail attempt, and argued that “this merger is actually going to be good — not only for California — it’ll be good for America.”The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
Read Next Story

Related Stories

Latest News
US Marine veteran Robert Gilman arrives in US after release from detention in Russia
16 minutes ago

US Marine veteran Robert Gilman arrives in US after release from detention in Russia

La actriz Lucy Davis, de la serie "The Office", revela que padece un cáncer "incurable"

Kobe Bryant Fast Facts

Yasser Arafat Fast Facts

Lionel Messi’s emotional tribute to his late father reveals his doubts about his future on the pitch