shadows of trees leaves on sidewalk with vague crescents from the solar eclipse

Today’s the day!

For the first time since 1999, folks in Europe will experience their first total solar eclipse.

The eclipse will be seen by millions of people, first starting in Greenland and sweeping across the continent to Spain, where people will see the low-horizon eclipse close to sunset.

The eclipse will last 96 minutes.

While the total eclipse can only be viewed within a narrow path, folks in other parts of Europe, eastern Canada, and northeast United States can see a partial solar eclipse.

Let’s hope for clear skies!

The partial eclipse begins in early afternoon (local time) in Greenland. For folks in the Eastern Daylight Zone (like me!), that’s 11:34AM.

Totality, where the moon completely covers the sun rendering darkness, is 4:35PM (local time) in Scoresby Sund, Greenland.

The total eclipse at Scoresby Sund will last less than two minutes.

How to Watch the Eclipse Online

For folks who aren’t lucky enough to travel to or live in the path of totality in Europe, many websites will have total eclipse livestreams, including:

European Space Agency (ESA) Total Eclipse Livestream on YouTube: begins at 1:30PM Eastern Daylight Time (find your time zone for ESA livestream)
Time and Date August 2026 Eclipse Livestream
NASA August 2026 Eclipse Livestream: starts at 1:15PM Eastern Daylight Time (find your time zone for NASA livestream)

If you’re more adventurous, and want to watch individual webcams of today’s eclipse, check out Jonty Wareing’s total eclipse webcam viewer.

Once totality begins, you’ll see a live-updating umbra. And you can move on to the next webcam to see the eclipse happen over and over again.

Summary

Based on my own experiences, seeing a total eclipse, whether in person or online, is an experience you don’t want to miss!

I hope you find time today to see the eclipse. And if you see it, share your experience in the comments!

Note: the photo on this post was taken by me in 2017, when I safely viewed the solar eclipse in the leaf shadows under my tree.

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Total Solar Eclipse in Europe on August 12, 2026