Photos: See the best photos from this year's total solar eclipse

NPR | By NPR Staff

Published August 12, 2026 at 8:38 PM CDT

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The moon completely covers the sun during a total solar eclipse as seen from the Javalambre Astrophysical Observatory in Arcos de las Salinas, near Teruel, Spain, on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026.

Millions of people across Europe stepped outside Wednesday to watch a spectacular sunset with a solar eclipse.

The path of totality passed through portions of Greenland, Iceland and Spain and Portugal. It was the first solar eclipse visible from Spain's mainland since 1905, according to the European Space Agency.

A partial eclipse was expected to be visible in the northern parts of the United States, including from Alaska to North Carolina. The next partial solar eclipse will be visible across parts of the U.S. on Aug. 2, 2027. The next total solar eclipse will be visible in the contiguous U.S. on Aug. 23, 2044.

People in Berlin record a video of the moon partially covering the sun during Wednesday's solar eclipse.

People wear protective glasses to observe a partial solar eclipse in Budapest, Hungary.

A fish jumps out of the water as the moon partially covers the sun and briefly dims the afternoon light along the coast of Fregene, Italy, near Rome.

A beachgoer wearing special eclipse glasses looks up during the beginning phase of a solar eclipse at Puerto de Sagunto beach near València, Spain.

The Hallgrímskirkja is seen in the dark during a total solar eclipse on a cloudy day in Reykjavík, Iceland.

A drone captures a picture of people wearing special protective glasses to observe a partial solar eclipse at the top of the St Mary's Church bell tower in Rickmansworth, Britain.

The sun's corona glows as the moon completely blocks the sun during the totality phase of a total solar eclipse as seen from Lodoso, Spain.

Staff from the University of Toulouse prepare equipment ahead of observing a partial solar eclipse on the summit of the Pic du Midi, in southern France.

A partial eclipse as seen from the Observatorielunden park in central Stockholm, Sweden.

People look to the partial solar eclipse in the landscape park of Halde Hoheward in Herten, a city in western Germany.

A view of the total eclipse, as the moon passes between the Earth and the sun, as seen from on board the Ambassador cruise ship Ambition, off the coast of Greenland.

People gather to view a partial solar eclipse near Martello Tower 3 in Folkestone, England.

The moon partially covers the sun during a solar eclipse near as seen from the Molecule Man sculpture in Berlin.

A member of the public shows the four pairs of solar eclipse glasses they bought from a stall on Custom House Quay, in Falmouth, England.

People watch as a wildfire climbs a hill near where thousands are set to gather to witness a total solar eclipse at the Monte de San Pedro park in A Coruña, along Spain's northwestern coast.

Javier Sanchez, a member of the "Los Taraos" astrophotography group, sets up his photo camera to shoot a total solar eclipse in Berlanga de Duero, in central Spain.