Cover image: StarryEarth
On the night of 12 August 2026 a unique astronomical triple bill will take place. First, sunset will come with a total solar eclipse: the first in Spain in more than a century. In the Canaries it will be visible as a partial eclipse, with much of the Sun hidden by the Moon in a truly rare event. Then, the early hours of 12–13 August coincide with the peak of the Perseid meteor shower. Finally, just before dawn there will be a morning alignment of six planets, four of them visible to the naked eye.
As you can see, a night with three astronomical events of this calibre deserves to be watched. So you don't miss a thing, it helps to know the details of each one. Below we run through them all, from observing tips to safety measures, with local times for the Canary Islands.
Total solar eclipse of 12 August 2026
A solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth. The shadow the Moon casts on the Earth's surface can produce 3 types of eclipse:
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If the Sun is completely hidden by the Moon, it is called a total solar eclipse.
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If the lunar disc covers only part of the Sun, it is called a partial solar eclipse.
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If the Moon is slightly further from the Earth than usual and doesn't quite cover the Sun completely, you get an annular solar eclipse.
Image: the three types of solar eclipse that can occur.
Where and when can you see it?
In Spain, the solar eclipse of 12 August will be total in the north of the mainland, in the area known as the path of totality.
In the Canaries the eclipse will be partial, covering 75–80 % of the solar disc at its maximum, so it will look like a “bite” taken out of the Sun. The phenomenon will begin in the afternoon and end at sunset. The partial eclipse will start at 18:56–18:57 (Canary time, UTC+1) on Wednesday 12 August, reaching its maximum at around 19:53–19:54 and finishing at 20:46, right on sunset.
What do I need to do to watch it? What precautions should I take?
To see this event in detail, it's best to choose a high spot with a completely clear western horizon, in other words with no obstacles and no low cloud. In the Canaries, the western side of the islands is ideal, and summer skies are usually clear, so the outlook is promising if you pick the right place.
Once you've chosen your spot, it's worth thinking about what time to start watching. Although the event begins at 18:56 Canary time (UTC+1), at first it isn't noticeable to the naked eye, as the Moon needs time to move between the Sun and the Earth. As the minutes pass, the Moon will take a bigger and bigger “bite” out of the Sun's disc, until the maximum at 19:53 (UTC+1). If your aim is to see that maximum, watching from about 15–20 minutes beforehand until after 20:46 (UTC+1) is a good call. That way you'll follow the eclipse as it develops, ending with sunset at around 20:50 (UTC+1), all in no more than an hour and a half. However, if you want to photograph the different stages or shoot sequences such as timelapses, it's best to be there from start to finish, with your kit ready even before 18:56 (UTC+1).
⚠️WARNING: during the partial phase before and after totality you must use eye protection, as looking directly at the Sun without proper filters is a serious risk to your eyes. Use certified solar viewers (ISO 12312-2), never ordinary sunglasses. If you have a telescope or a camera with a telephoto lens, you must fit a suitable solar filter in front of it. Only and exclusively during totality (in the few mainland locations where it occurs) would it be safe to look directly without a filter, but there will be no totality in the Canaries, so you must use protection throughout the WHOLE partial eclipse.
The Perseid meteor shower
The Perseids (popularly known in Spain as the “tears of St Lawrence”) are an annual meteor shower in mid-August, caused by fragments of comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle. Every year in early August, the Earth crosses that comet's orbit, and the grains of dust burn up in the atmosphere, creating shooting stars. The name comes from the fact that their radiant (the point in the sky from which all the shooting stars of a given shower appear to come) lies in the constellation of Perseus.
Image: the Perseid shower in August 2009. Credit: NASA/JPL.
In 2026 the Perseids will peak on the night of 12–13 August, roughly between 04:00 and 06:00 mainland Spanish time (03:00–05:00 UTC+1). So it will be in the early hours after the eclipse, just before dawn. The Moon will be new, which means darker skies. In a really dark spot you can see several dozen and even more than a hundred meteors an hour.
To watch them, look for a dark place away from light pollution, such as high in the mountains or on remote beaches. Binoculars and telescopes aren't recommended, as they narrow your field of view. Simply let your eyes adapt to the dark for about 30 minutes in complete darkness and without looking at screens. No special equipment is needed: just patience and a wide gaze.
Planetary alignment at dawn
Just before daybreak on 13 August 2026 (in the hours before sunrise) there will be an alignment of six planets in the morning sky. The planets involved are Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, Uranus, Saturn and Neptune. That week, they will all sit along the plane of the ecliptic near the east-southeast horizon before sunrise.
Image: simulation of the planetary alignment before dawn on 13 August 2026, seen from the northern hemisphere. Mercury and Jupiter can be seen near the horizon, Mars at the top left, and Saturn and Neptune to the right. Credit: Vito Technology, Inc.
The brightest objects will be Mars and Saturn, easily visible to the naked eye. Mercury and Jupiter will be very low on the horizon, so you'll need a very clear eastern horizon. They will also be close to the horizon at sunrise, making them harder to spot and easily lost in the glare. To see Uranus and Neptune you'll need binoculars or a telescope and very dark skies.
The alignment starts to become visible at around 5:30–6:00 in the morning (UTC+1) on 13 August, some 1–2 hours before sunrise. The planets aren't in a perfectly straight line, but they do appear in a near-line following the ecliptic. The phenomenon lasts several days, during which the visible planets shift slightly in position and height.
Final tips
In short, the night of 12 August 2026 in the Canaries brings together three celestial shows: a solar eclipse at sunset (80 % partial), the Perseid meteor shower in the early hours, and a alignment of six planets before dawn. It's an astronomical event that is unusual across much of the world. Plan ahead using the tips in this blog, keep the safety advice in mind, and you'll witness something truly memorable.
