On Wednesday 12 August 2026, the Moon’s shadow will sweep across the top of the world. Totality begins over northern Russia, crosses the Arctic and Greenland, passes over Iceland, runs down the North Atlantic and finally reaches northern Spain and the far northeastern tip of Portugal. It is the first total solar eclipse visible from Iceland since 1954, the first in Spain since 1905, and the first in continental Europe since 2006.
If you are reading this in the United States, here is the honest headline: you will not see totality. From Alaska down to North Carolina the Moon will clip the edge of the Sun and nothing more. That does not make it a non-event, but it does change how you photograph it, and it changes one thing in particular that matters more than any other piece of advice in this article. We will get to that.
Below you will find the exact path, verified viewing times for US and European cities, the physics of why a 16.6 stop filter is the right tool, and a practical shooting plan you can rehearse before the day. All eclipse data in this article comes from NASA.
The Eclipse at a Glance
| Date | Wednesday, 12 August 2026 |
| Type | Total solar eclipse (magnitude 1.0386) |
| Path of totality | Northern Russia, the Arctic, Greenland, Iceland, the North Atlantic, northern Spain, northeastern Portugal |
| Greatest eclipse | 17:47 UTC |
| Longest totality | 2 minutes 18 seconds, about 45 km off the western coast of Iceland |
| Maximum path width | 294 km (183 miles) |
| Visible from the USA | Partial eclipse only, from Alaska to North Carolina |
| Saros series | 126 (eclipse 48 of 72) |
The Path of the Eclipse
This eclipse behaves unusually. The first part of the track runs from east to west as it passes from Russia over the Arctic to Greenland, narrowly missing the North Pole, before turning south. Because the eclipse falls about 2.2 days after lunar perigee, the Moon is closer to Earth than average and its disc appears slightly larger, which is part of why totality is comfortably long despite the shallow geometry.
Totality arrives at different times of day depending on where you stand. A remote region of northern Russia gets it around local midday. Greenland and Iceland see the Sun go dark in the late afternoon or early evening. By the time the shadow reaches Spain and Portugal, the Sun is low and close to setting, which makes for a dramatic but demanding photograph: you need a clean western horizon and a long lens.
What the United States Will Actually See
In 2024, tens of millions of Americans stood inside the path of totality. 2026 is a different proposition. The Moon’s shadow never touches the United States, so what reaches us is the outer part of the shadow, the penumbra, and a partial eclipse.
Alaska does best, and sees it in the morning. The Northeast gets a smaller bite around midday running into mid afternoon. Move south or west from there and the effect shrinks quickly. These are the figures for a representative set of cities, with all times local.
| City | Partial begins | Maximum | Sun covered | Partial ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairbanks, Alaska | 7:37 a.m. | 8:27 a.m. | 37% | 9:18 a.m. |
| Anchorage, Alaska | 7:36 a.m. | 8:21 a.m. | 28% | 9:09 a.m. |
| Bangor, Maine | 12:54 p.m. | 1:53 p.m. | 24% | 2:49 p.m. |
| Portland, Maine | 12:57 p.m. | 1:53 p.m. | 19% | 2:27 p.m. |
| Juneau, Alaska | 7:41 a.m. | 8:24 a.m. | 17% | 9:08 a.m. |
| Boston, Massachusetts | 1:01 p.m. | 1:55 p.m. | 16% | 2:46 p.m. |
| New York, New York | 1:07 p.m. | 1:54 p.m. | 9% | 2:38 p.m. |
| Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 1:11 p.m. | 1:53 p.m. | 7% | 2:35 p.m. |
| Washington, D.C. | 1:17 p.m. | 1:53 p.m. | 4% | 2:27 p.m. |
| Detroit, Michigan | 1:03 p.m. | 1:36 p.m. | 3% | 2:08 p.m. |
A 37% partial in Fairbanks is a genuinely good photograph. A 4% nick out of the solar disc in Washington is a subtler one, but it is still a recognizable eclipse frame and still worth shooting, particularly as part of a sequence.
The One Thing That Changes for US Photographers
Here is the point worth repeating. In 2024, photographers inside the path of totality removed their solar filter for the few minutes when the Moon fully covered the Sun, exposed for the corona, then put the filter straight back on. That window is the only time it is ever safe to shoot or look without protection.
In 2026, there is no such window anywhere in the United States. Because the eclipse is only ever partial here, part of the Sun’s photosphere remains visible at every moment from first contact to last. The filter stays on the lens for the entire event, which for most US locations runs to roughly two hours.
The same rule applies to your eyes. During a partial eclipse it is never safe to look at the Sun directly without certified ISO 12312-2 eclipse glasses or a handheld solar viewer. Sunglasses are not a substitute, no matter how dark they are.
Chasing Totality: Iceland and Spain
If you are willing to travel, this is a rare one. The point of greatest duration sits just off Iceland’s west coast, and Látrabjarg on the Westfjords is the longest totality available on land, which is why access to the area is expected to be managed on the day.
In Spain the path crosses the country from the Atlantic coast to the Mediterranean and takes in the Balearic Islands. A Coruña, Bilbao, Zaragoza, Valencia and Palma all fall inside it. Madrid and Barcelona sit just outside, at a tantalizing 99%, which is a useful reminder that 99% is not totality and the filter stays on there too.
| City | Partial begins | Totality begins | Totality ends | Partial ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reykjavík, Iceland | 4:47 p.m. | 5:48 p.m. | 5:49 p.m. | 6:47 p.m. |
| León, Spain | 7:32 p.m. | 8:28 p.m. | 8:30 p.m. | 9:22 p.m. |
| Zaragoza, Spain | 7:34 p.m. | 8:29 p.m. | 8:30 p.m. | sunset |
| Valencia, Spain | 7:38 p.m. | 8:32 p.m. | 8:33 p.m. | sunset |
All times are local. In Zaragoza and Valencia the Sun sets while still partially eclipsed, so the event ends below the horizon rather than in the sky.
One further note for anyone planning a trip: Spain gets a second total eclipse on 2 August 2027, less than a year later. Iceland will not see another until 2196.
Why You Need a 16.6 Stop Solar Filter
The Sun is the brightest thing you will ever point a camera at. Without a purpose built solar filter you cannot expose for it, and pointing an unfiltered telephoto lens at it risks permanent damage to your sensor, your shutter and, if you use an optical viewfinder, your eyesight.
NiSi Solar Filters use an ND100000 (5.0) density, which is 16.6 stops of light reduction. That is a factor of one hundred thousand. It brings the solar disc down to a level an ordinary camera can record, and at the right exposure you will see the Sun as a clean, defined disc with sunspot detail rather than a blown out white blob.
Why UV and IR cut matters
Density alone is not enough. Many very dark neutral density filters leak ultraviolet and infrared light, because the coatings that block visible light do not necessarily block wavelengths either side of it. Your sensor is sensitive well into the infrared, so that leaked energy still lands on it. The result is a warm, muddy, color shifted Sun, and in some cases a genuine safety concern about how much energy is reaching the sensor.
NiSi Solar Filters cut UV and IR fully, so only visible light passes through. That is what produces a neutral rendering of the solar disc straight out of camera, and it is the single biggest reason not to improvise a solar filter by stacking ordinary NDs.
Nano coating and build
Both ranges use optical glass in an aluminum frame with double sided nano coating. Against a subject as bright as the Sun, internal reflections and ghosting are a real and visible problem, and the coating is what keeps a secondary reflection of the solar disc from appearing elsewhere in your frame. The coatings are also water repellent, oil resistant and low reflective, which matters when you are set up outdoors for two hours.
Choosing the Right NiSi Solar Filter
There are two ways to fit a NiSi Solar Filter to your lens. Both use the same ND100000 glass with UV and IR cut. The difference is how they mount.
1. JetMag Pro magnetic, for speed
The JetMag Pro FS ND100000 82MAG and 95MAG snap on and off magnetically in about a second. During a two hour partial with cloud moving through, that speed is worth more than it sounds. The patented twist lock then holds the filter firmly in place, which matters on a long lens where a filter working loose is a real risk.
The system’s other advantage is economic. You fit an inexpensive adapter ring to each of your lenses, and one filter then serves all of them. No step-up rings, and no buying a separate solar filter per lens.
- 82MAG covers lenses with 62mm, 67mm, 72mm, 77mm and 82mm filter threads.
- 95MAG covers 72mm, 77mm, 82mm, 86mm and 95mm threads, and is the one to choose if your eclipse lens is a large telephoto.
2. Circular screw-in, for simplicity
The NiSi Solar Filter Pro Nano UV/IR Cut ND100000 threads directly onto your lens with no adapter system to buy into. If you have one lens you intend to use for the eclipse, this is the straightforward choice.
| Filter | Fits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Circular Solar Filter 58mm | 58mm thread | $75.00 |
| Circular Solar Filter 77mm | 77mm thread | $109.00 |
| Circular Solar Filter 82mm | 82mm thread | $119.00 |
| Circular Solar Filter 95mm | 95mm thread | $169.00 |
| Solar Bundle 95mm / 105mm | 95mm and 105mm threads | $186.00 |
| JetMag Pro FS ND100000 82MAG | 62mm to 82mm via adapters | $125.99 |
| JetMag Pro FS ND100000 95MAG | 72mm to 95mm via adapters | $175.00 |
If you are not sure which JetMag system and adapters suit your lenses, the JetMag Finder will work it out from your filter thread sizes.
How Much Lens Do You Need?
This is the question that catches people out. The Sun is only about half a degree across, which is far smaller in frame than it feels to the eye. On a full frame sensor the solar disc measures roughly the following:
| Focal length | Solar disc on full frame | Height of frame |
|---|---|---|
| 200mm | 1.8 mm | about 8% |
| 400mm | 3.7 mm | about 15% |
| 600mm | 5.5 mm | about 23% |
| 800mm | 7.4 mm | about 31% |
| 1000mm | 9.2 mm | about 38% |
Practically: 400mm is the sensible minimum for a frame where the Sun reads as a subject rather than a dot. 600mm and beyond is where sunspots and the bite of the Moon become genuinely detailed. An APS-C body gives you an effective 1.5x advantage here, and a teleconverter is a legitimate way to get there.
The alternative approach is to go the other way entirely. A wide lens that places the partially eclipsed Sun in a landscape, with a recognizable foreground, is often a more interesting photograph than a tightly cropped disc, and it is far more achievable with the gear most people own.
Camera Settings and Technique
- Shoot a test session first. Pick a clear day before the 12th, fit the filter, find the Sun and work out your exposure. Learning the filter during the eclipse is the most common avoidable mistake.
- Use live view, never the optical viewfinder. This is a safety rule, not a preference. Aim using the rear screen.
- Focus manually, magnified. Autofocus struggles on a low contrast disc. Punch in on the edge of the Sun or on a sunspot, set focus, then leave it alone. Tape the focus ring if your lens drifts.
- Start around ISO 100 and f/8, then bracket widely. Shutter speeds in the region of 1/1000 to 1/125 are a reasonable place to begin, but haze, sun altitude and your specific setup move this significantly. Judge it on the histogram, not the rear screen brightness.
- Shoot RAW. You will want the latitude when you process the disc.
- Use a tripod and a remote release. With a long lens on a small target, the smallest nudge is visible. A cable or app release removes the worst of it.
- Track the Sun’s movement. It moves roughly its own diameter every two minutes, so a tightly framed shot needs regular re-aiming. Set a phone timer as a prompt.
- Shoot the whole event, not just maximum. Frame at fixed intervals across the full two hours and you have the raw material for a composite sequence, which is usually the strongest way to present a partial eclipse.
Gear Checklist
- NiSi Solar Filter in the correct size for your lens, plus adapter rings if you are using JetMag Pro
- Camera with full manual control
- The longest lens you own, or a wide lens if you are shooting a landscape composition
- Sturdy tripod, ideally with a geared or fluid head for fine aiming
- Remote shutter release or intervalometer
- Spare batteries and memory cards
- Certified ISO 12312-2 eclipse glasses for looking with your eyes
- Lens cloth, and a hat and water if you are outdoors for the full two hours
Safety Tips and Cautions
Please read these before the day. They are short and they matter.
- The NiSi Solar Filter is a photographic filter. It is not appropriate for direct solar observation with the naked eye and should be used exclusively for photography.
- Check the filter for damage before every use by holding it up to a bright light, not the Sun. Secure it properly by screwing it fully onto the lens or locking it onto the adapter.
- The NiSi Solar Filter is not suitable eye protection for extended viewing of the Sun or a solar eclipse. Do not look directly or indirectly at the Sun without appropriate eye protection.
- Fit the filter to the front of the lens or telescope before attempting to align with the Sun. Point the camera away from the Sun when attaching and removing it.
- Do not use an optical viewfinder to align your camera or telescope with the Sun. Use the camera’s live view for both aligning and viewing.
- Never leave a camera unattended where a child or an inexperienced adult could point it at the Sun without the filter properly attached.
- The filter absorbs solar energy and becomes hot during use. Take extra care when removing it.
When Is the Next One?
If 2026 leaves you wanting the real thing, the wait from the United States is a long one.
| Date | Where |
|---|---|
| 2 August 2027 | Spain, North Africa, the Middle East |
| 30 March 2033 | Alaska |
| 23 August 2044 | Greenland, Canada, the northern United States |
| 12 August 2045 | The United States, coast to coast |
That is another reason to treat 12 August 2026 as worth the effort even at 20% coverage. It is the eclipse in front of you, and a well made sequence of partial phases is a photograph worth having.
Get Ready Now
Work out your location and your maximum coverage time from the table above. Choose a filter that fits the lens you actually intend to use. Then get it on the camera for a practice run on a clear day well before the 12th, because every problem you find in rehearsal is a problem you will not be solving under time pressure on the day.
Every NiSi Solar Filter ships free within the USA.
Eclipse path, timing and coverage data in this article is sourced from NASA. Path map credit: NASA. All times are local to the city listed. Times and percentages are given for planning purposes; check a local source close to the date for your exact position.
