STYKKISHOLMUR, Iceland (WCAX) – WCAX producer Sam Shinn was among the throngs who traveled to witness Wednesday’s rare total solar eclipse in Iceland.
Sam watched from Stykkisholmur on a remote peninsula in Western Iceland, about 100 miles from Reykjavik, where thousands of people– including a group of Vermonters– flocked to see the total solar eclipse through the clouds.
It was the first one in Iceland since 1954.
Totality lasted about a minute and a half, and even though it was drizzling, she said it still got dark and felt magical. You could hear the birds, including loons, singing as the sky darkened and lightened again over the course of a few minutes. They sat by the seaside and just listened and watched.
The partial eclipse continued for about another hour. Sam had her trusty WCAX eclipse glasses to stay safe if they were lucky enough to see it through the clouds.
They originally planned to be elsewhere in Iceland for the eclipse, but had to change gears to chase a better forecast. And they were not the only ones; there was unusual traffic through the typically quiet, rural area.
During the Great American Eclipse in 2024, Sam was working in the control room at WCAX producing our live coverage, so she didn’t get to see much of it. But like many people, she was profoundly moved by the experience and had to travel to see the next one. She said this one was awesome, too!
More than 20 states, including Vermont, got a glimpse of the partial eclipse on Wednesday. Here in Vermont, the peak of the partial eclipse happened at 12:48 p.m. with only about 17% of the sun covered by the moon.
The next time a total solar eclipse will pass over Iceland is June 2196.
Parts of Spain, North Africa and the Middle East will see one next August. Vermonters will have to wait until 2079 — and that will just be the very southern tip of the state.
It is not until 2399 that a total solar eclipse will be visible from Burlington.
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