Published on May. 21, 2026, 9:00 AM
Unpack your eclipse glasses and cross your fingers for clear skies, so you don’t miss this amazing celestial event!
This summer, an alignment of Earth, the Moon, and the Sun will produce a total solar eclipse along a line that stretches from the Arctic to southern Europe, and most Canadians have a chance to see a partial eclipse during the event.
After the stunning total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, we have a long wait before the next one that passes over Canada — nearly 18 years, to be more precise, as the Moon’s shadow will sweep over western Canada on August 22, 2044.
However, even this year, most of us have a chance to spot the Moon taking at least a tiny ‘bite’ out of the Sun.
On August 12, 2026, a total solar eclipse will begin in the Arctic, pass over eastern Greenland, the western tip of Iceland, the north Atlantic Ocean, and then through northern Portugal and Spain, before ending over the Mediterranean Sea.
The path of totality of the August 12, 2026 solar eclipse is shown in this diagram, in dark blue. The lines extending away from the path denote where the partial solar eclipse will be visible. (NASA/Fred Espenak)
As is always the case with these events, a partial solar eclipse will be visible for hundreds of kilometres outside of the path of totality.
Almost all of Canada is within that range on August 12. Only southwestern British Columbia — specifically around Vancouver and the southern half of Vancouver Island — miss out.