Space & Physics: BREAKING—Total solar eclipse begins—watch it live

Follow along with all our coverage                    

View in web browser

August 12—BREAKING—A total solar eclipse is starting, and millions of sky-gazers will, for a few brief minutes, see the world plunged into darkness as the moon passes directly in front of our star. The best views of this solar eclipse will be from the Arctic Circle, Iceland, Spain and parts of Portugal. In a matter of moments from now, people in Icleand (if the weather cooperates) will see totality. Read more in our article below and find all our eclipse coverage here. As always, send your thoughts and questions to me at lbillings@sciam.com, or find me on X or Bluesky. —Lee Billings, Senior Editor, Physical Sciences *This is a special, breaking news edition of our space & physics newsletter.*

Watch today’s total solar eclipse live Follow all the latest updates and learn everything you need to know about the August 12 eclipse with Scientific American

Read more

A complete guide to the 2026 total solar eclipse Here’s everything you need to know about this eclipse, from the weather to the best viewing locations Claire Cameron

The eclipse chaser’s guide to the 2026 total solar eclipse All the tips and tricks you need to watch and photograph this incredible celestial phenomenon Lucie McCormick

Big universe, tiny cost. Immerse yourself in science with a subscription to Scientific American. Get 90 days for just $1!

Do animals act weirdly during a solar eclipse? Or do we? There are many observations of animals behaving oddly during eclipses, but the reason may have nothing to do with the sun and moon Jackie Flynn Mogensen

The Perseid meteor shower peaks today alongside the total solar eclipse—here’s how to see it Skygazers are in for a treat on August 12, as one of the most spectacular meteor showers coincides with a total solar eclipse Jackie Flynn Mogensen

107 years ago, Scientific American covered one of the most ambitious total eclipse experiments ever The Eddington experiment used a solar eclipse to prove Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity Adam Kovac

Subscribe to this and all of our newsletters here. Scientific American 1000 N West Street, Suite 1200 Wilmington, Delaware 19801 Support our mission, subscribe to Scientific American here Unsubscribe  |  Preferences Privacy Policy  |  Contact Us