Best for: Tourism infrastructure, generally favourable August weather and sea-horizon possibilities.
Main concern: Very low Sun, coastal haze, crowds and location-specific path boundaries.
Portugal
NASA includes a small corner of Portugal within the total-eclipse path. (NASA Science)
This area lies at the extreme northeastern edge of the country near the Spanish border.
Because it is so close to the edge of totality, the duration is exceptionally short and may be sensitive to precise location and the irregular outline of the Moon. Portugal should therefore be described as technically touched by totality, not presented as one of the primary viewing countries.
Anyone seriously planning to observe from Portugal would need to verify exact coordinates using an authoritative eclipse map and understand that moving a short distance into Spain could provide a considerably more secure and longer total phase.
Best for: People already in northeastern Portugal who can verify their precise position.
Main concern: Extremely brief edge totality and high sensitivity to location.
Iceland or Spain?
There is no honest universal winner.
Iceland offers:
- A higher Sun during totality
- More time before sunset
- Totality in Reykjavík itself
- Up to approximately 2 minutes 13 seconds from the mainland
- Extraordinary volcanic, coastal and glacial landscapes
- A deeply historic event for the country
The risk is cloud, wind, limited roads and rapidly changing weather.
Spain offers:
- Generally better August clear-sky prospects
- A much larger populated land area inside totality
- More roads, cities and accommodation
- Extensive inland regions where observers can reposition
- A rare sunset-eclipse experience
The risks are a very low Sun, horizon obstruction, heat, wildfires and enormous crowds.
For the greatest probability of clear weather, inland northern Spain may be the more conservative choice.
For a higher Sun and the experience that feels most personal to me, western Iceland is extraordinary.
And yes, I know I am biased.
I live here.
I can stand beneath the Moon’s shadow in my own country during an event Reykjavík has not experienced for nearly six centuries, so asking me to act emotionally neutral about this would be like asking someone to remain calm while a dragon lands politely in their garden.
Eclipse Safety
This part is not flexible, dramatic or open to personal interpretation.
During every partial phase, look at the Sun only through safe solar-viewing glasses or a handheld solar viewer that complies with the ISO 12312-2 international safety standard.
Ordinary sunglasses are not safe.
Cameras, binoculars and telescopes require specialised solar filters secured over the front of the instrument. Never look through an optical device while wearing eclipse glasses because concentrated sunlight can damage the filter and cause severe eye injury.
Only observers inside the path of totality may remove their eclipse glasses, and only during the brief interval when the Sun’s bright surface is completely covered.
The instant bright sunlight begins returning, eye protection must go back on.
NASA warns that direct solar viewing during partial phases is unsafe without proper protection. (NASA Science)
The Perseid Meteor Shower Peaks Too
As if the eclipse were not enough, the Perseid meteor shower peaks overnight from August 12 into August 13.
The American Meteor Society lists the 2026 Perseid peak for the night of August 12–13, with the Moon at zero percent illumination, creating exceptionally dark conditions away from artificial light. The shower’s theoretical zenithal hourly rate is around 100, although the number any individual observer actually sees will depend on darkness, weather, radiant altitude and local conditions. (amsmeteors.org)
NASA identifies Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle as the source of the Perseids, with meteors entering Earth’s atmosphere at approximately 37 miles, or 59 kilometres, per second. (NASA Science)
The best general viewing period is after midnight through the hours before dawn, when Perseus rises higher.
Do not stare only at Perseus. The radiant tells us where the meteors appear to originate, but longer trails are often easier to appreciate farther away from it.
Find a dark place, lie back, allow your eyes at least twenty minutes to adapt and avoid checking your phone every forty seconds because your eyes cannot become dark-adapted while your face is being illuminated like a small electronic lighthouse.
The Perseids favour the Northern Hemisphere, although some meteors can also be seen from parts of the Southern Hemisphere where the radiant remains low.
Moon Phase This Week
Waning Crescent to New Moon to Waxing Crescent
August 10–11
The Moon is a thinning waning crescent visible before sunrise.
Evening skies are dark, giving observers excellent conditions for the Milky Way and deep-sky objects.
August 12
New Moon and Total Solar Eclipse
A total solar eclipse can only occur at New Moon, when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun.
Most New Moons do not create eclipses because the Moon’s orbit is tilted relative to Earth’s orbit around the Sun. On August 12, the alignment is close enough for the Moon’s shadow to reach Earth.
August 13–16
A young waxing crescent gradually returns to the evening sky.
Its first appearance may be difficult because it remains close to the Sun, but it becomes easier to find as the week progresses.