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Millions Across Europe Witness Rare Total Solar Eclipse

morning · · thread: Total Solar Eclipse to Sweep Across Spain, Iceland, and Greenland on August 12

27 sources across 18 countries · 1 of them is linked to a state

Who reported this

  • Der Spiegel Germany · Centre-left · ~50% staff-owned
  • Sueddeutsche Zeitung Germany · Centre-left · Sudwestdeutsche Medien Holding
  • Frankfurter Allgemeine Germany · Centre-right · FAZIT-Stiftung (foundation)
  • The Guardian United Kingdom · Centre-left · Scott Trust Limited
  • The Independent United Kingdom · Centre-left · Sultan Muhammad Abuljadayel and Evgeny Lebedev
  • BBC News United Kingdom · Centre · Public · Licence fee, royal charter
  • Infobae Argentina · Centre-right · Daniel Hadad
  • La Nacion Argentina · Centre-right · Saguier family
  • Le Monde France · Centre-left · Fonds pour l'independance de la presse
  • France 24 France · Centre · Public · France Medias Monde (French state holding)
  • The Times of Israel Israel · Centre · Seth Klarman (majority backer)
  • The Jerusalem Post Israel · Centre-right · Mirkaei Tikshoret (Eli Azur)
  • ANSA Italy · Centre · Publisher cooperative
  • Corriere della Sera Italy · Centre-right · RCS MediaGroup (Cairo Communication)
  • CNN United States · Centre-left · Warner Bros. Discovery
  • WIRED United States · Centre-left · Conde Nast (Advance Publications)
  • The Daily Star Bangladesh · Centre · Mediaworld Ltd
  • G1 Brazil · Centre-left · Grupo Globo (Marinho family)
  • South China Morning Post Hong Kong · Centre-right · Alibaba Group
  • Telex Hungary · Centre · Reader-funded, staff-owned
  • The Indian Express India · Centre · Indian Express Group (Goenka family)
  • Asahi Shimbun Japan · Centre-left · Asahi Shimbun Company (family and employee held)
  • NRC Netherlands · Centre · Mediahuis
  • Dawn Pakistan · Centre-left · Pakistan Herald Publications (Haroon family)
  • Al Jazeera Qatar · Centre-left · State-affiliated · Qatari government funded
  • Daily Maverick South Africa · Centre-left · Reader-funded
  • El Pais Spain · Centre-left · Grupo PRISA

What the colours mean

  • Left
  • Centre-left
  • Centre
  • Centre-right
  • Right
  • A hatched block means the outlet is affiliated with, or controlled by, a state.

Political lean describes where an outlet sits within the politics of its own country. It is never a position on a single global scale.

Political lean is comparable inside one country and not across them, which is why the bar groups by country first. Publicly funded broadcasters are not marked as state-linked.

The owner of each outlet is listed as a matter of record, not as a judgement about the outlet.

A rare total solar eclipse swept across the Northern Hemisphere on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, plunging parts of Greenland, Iceland, and Spain into darkness. This event marked the first total solar eclipse visible from mainland Europe since 1999. The path of totality crossed the Iberian Peninsula from the northwestern Atlantic coast to the Mediterranean Sea, with the total darkening of the sky lasting approximately two minutes in some regions. Millions of people gathered at viewing sites, including the city of Zaragoza and the Balearic Islands, to witness the phenomenon. In Spain, authorities deployed 25,000 police officers and nearly 100 aircraft to manage crowds and prevent wildfires during a high risk period for vegetation fires.

While Spain experienced totality, a partial eclipse was visible across much of Europe, including the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, and Hungary. In the UK, some observers used colanders to safely view the eclipse by projecting shadows on the ground. In Germany, the event coincided with the peak of the Perseid meteor shower, which brought up to 100 shooting stars per hour to dark locations. Scientists from NASA and the European Space Agency used the event to study the solar corona and the effects of temporary darkening on the atmosphere, utilizing high altitude research aircraft and scientific balloons.

Economic impacts were noted across the region. Some reports indicated that the decrease in sunshine hours reduced photovoltaic energy production in several European countries, potentially doubling wholesale electricity prices in Germany for a short period. Conversely, Spain saw a boost in astro tourism, with government predictions suggesting nearly 450,000 extra tourists could bring a significant economic boost to rural areas. The next total solar eclipse is expected to cross southern Spain and northern Africa on August 2, 2027.

How each side framed it

Centre-left
These outlets focused on the scientific explanations of the celestial events and the emotional, connective experience of the observers.
Centre
These outlets emphasized the logistical scale of the event, including police deployments and the specific experiences of diverse spectators.
Centre-right
These outlets highlighted the economic benefits of tourism and the specific urban experiences of the eclipse in Spanish cities.

Sources

100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.