{"id":619637,"date":"2026-08-04T09:12:18","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T09:12:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/619637\/"},"modified":"2026-08-04T09:12:18","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T09:12:18","slug":"will-iceland-see-the-northern-lights-during-next-weeks-total-solar-eclipse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/619637\/","title":{"rendered":"Will Iceland See The Northern Lights During Next Week\u2019s Total Solar Eclipse?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Topline<\/p>\n

When the moon completely covers the sun during a rare total solar eclipse<\/a> over western Iceland on Aug. 12, most people will be focused on the spectacular solar corona glowing around the moon\u2019s silhouette. The eclipse \u2014 Iceland\u2019s first since 1954 \u2014 comes in the wake of strong solar activity in the past few years, alerting some to the possibility of aurora during totality itself. While some say it\u2019s unlikely and even impossible, there\u2019s a possibility that totality itself could cause aurora.<\/p>\n

A total solar eclipse on Aug. 12 \u2014 Iceland\u2019s first since 1954 \u2014 comes in the wake of strong solar activity in the past few years, alerting some to the possibility of aurora during totality itself.<\/p>\n

gettyKey Facts<\/p>\n

Aug. 12\u2019s total solar eclipse will only be visible from a narrow 180-mile (290-kilometer) path of totality through eastern Greenland, western Iceland and northern Spain.<\/p>\n

Observers in Iceland and Greenland are encouraged to look toward the eastern sky during totality, the darkest part of the sky.<\/p>\n

It will be Iceland\u2019s first since 1954, which was the last Arctic total solar eclipse \u2014 when aurora could have been observed during totality \u2014 in Svalbard and the Faroe Islands on March 20, 2015. The next will be in Alaska on March 30, 2033.<\/p>\n

No part of North America will experience totality on Aug. 12, but millions of people in eastern Canada and the northeastern U.S. will see a shallow partial solar eclipse<\/a>. Eclipse glasses that comply with the ISO 12312-2 standard must be used whenever looking directly at the sun.<\/p>\n

Could The Northern Lights Appear During Totality?<\/p>\n

The idea remains highly speculative, but scientists believe the conditions are at least theoretically possible. \u201cIf we have a solar storm happening while the eclipse is happening, then there\u2019s a slight chance of seeing auroras during totality,\u201d says S\u00e6var Helgi Bragason, an award-winning astronomy communicator in Iceland, who runs Eclipse2026<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s a very weak possibility, but it’s late in the afternoon, so we might be able to see auroras if they\u2019re active.\u201d For auroras to become visible during totality, several factors would need to align.<\/p>\n