A total solar eclipse passed over the Spanish island of Mallorca on Aug. 12, 2026 [1].
The event provided a rare opportunity for observers and astronomers to witness totality, a phenomenon that occurs only once in a generation for specific geographic locations.
Timelapse footage captured from the towns of Len and Palma de Mallorca shows the moon passing directly between the Earth and the sun [2]. The video, produced by timeanddate.com, documents the gradual darkening of the sky as the lunar disk fully obscured the sun [3].
Similar footage was recorded in Arcos de las Salinas, where the moon produced the rare total eclipse [4]. The imagery highlights the transition from daylight to totality, capturing the silhouette of the sun's corona against a darkened sky.
While Spain and Iceland experienced the full total eclipse, other regions saw partial coverage. In the United Kingdom, more than 90% of the sun was covered by the moon at the peak of the event [5].
Thousands of eclipse chasers traveled to Spain to witness the event. The total solar eclipse was captured through various lenses across the island to share the experience with a global audience [6].
“the moon passing directly between the Earth and the sun to produce a rare total solar eclipse”
Total solar eclipses are rare because the moon's shadow, or umbra, covers only a small portion of the Earth's surface. Because these paths of totality are narrow and infrequent for any single location, such events drive significant 'astrotourism' and provide scientists with a brief window to study the sun's outer atmosphere, the corona, which is normally hidden by the sun's brightness.
