This eclipse has passed. See the guide below for what it was like — and when the next total solar eclipse will be visible from Iceland.
Iceland's first total solar eclipse since 1954 — and the last until 2196. What happened on August 12, 2026.
View Full Program Details
**A ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME EVENT — NOW A MEMORY**
On August 12, 2026, Iceland witnessed its first total solar eclipse in 72 years. The path of totality crossed the western side of the country — the Westfjords, the Snæfellsnes Peninsula and the Reykjavík area — with totality beginning around 17:43 and lasting up to about 2 minutes 13 seconds at Látrabjarg.
**What it was like:**
Total darkness swept down the coast from the north. Birds fell silent, the temperature dropped noticeably, and the horizon glowed in every direction like a 360° sunset. Clouds covered the sun across much of the path, including Snæfellsnes — most people experienced totality through the overcast, while those under breaks in the cloud saw the corona around the black disc.
**Why Arnarstapi?**
We pinned this event at Arnarstapi because its sea cliffs beneath Snæfellsjökull sat inside the path of totality, one of the most dramatic settings anywhere along it, away from the capital's light and crowds.
**The next one:**
The next total solar eclipse visible from Iceland will be on June 26, 2196. If you stood in the shadow in 2026 — clouds or not — you experienced something no one in Iceland will again for 170 years.
The rules that applied in 2026 apply to any solar eclipse: never look directly at the sun without certified ISO 12312-2 eclipse glasses — regular sunglasses are not safe. Only during the brief window of totality is it safe to look with the naked eye.
