Three European Eclipses
The eclipses listed below are total and annual eclipses whose paths of totality or annularity spans portions of the European continent. Of the three eclipses occurring in 2026, 2027, and 2028, two of the eclipses are total solar eclipses, while the eclipse of 2028 is an annular eclipse. All three of these eclipses are visible from portions of Spain.
Summary of the Three Eclipses over Europe
The Great American Eclipse of April 8, 2024 has, of course, come and gone. The internet is replete with testimonies of that spectacle. The eclipses of August 12, 2026 and August 2, 2027 present great opportunities to see a solar eclipse in Europe.
Total Eclipse of August 12, 2026
Total Eclipse of August 2, 2027
Annular Solar Eclipse of January 26, 2028
The January 2028 eclipse is an annular solar eclipse. Accordingly, enthusiasts who make the trip to Spain to view this eclipse will not see a substantial darkening of the sky. The planets and stars will not be visible during the eclipses and the sun's corona will not appear. The obscuration of the sun will barely reach 90 % in the path of annularity, and eclipse goers will see neither Baily's Beads or the Diamond Ring effect the sun is blocked.
The January 2028 eclipse occurs just a few weeks after perihelion (the closest approach of the earth to the sun) while the moon is very near apogee (the portion of the moon's orbit most distant from earth). Accordingly, the sun will have nearly its largest apparent size while the moon will be very close to its smallest possible apparent size. As predicted by Kepler's laws of celestial mechancis, the moon moves more slowly around the Earth when near apogee. As a result, the January 2028 eclipse will be a particularly long annular eclipse. Those who travel to view this eclipse can anticipate just over 7 minutes of the "ring of fire" stage at locations near the center of the path of annularity.