READ MORE: Solar eclipse live updatesSee more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred SourceBy SOPHIA STANFORD, NEWS REPORTER Published: 18:59 BST, 12 August 2026 | Updated: 19:43 BST, 12 August 2026
With solar eclipse mania gripping the UK, remarkable images have revealed the incredible moment that the sun is blocked by the moon.In the UK, first contact - the moment the moon's shadow first appears on the sun - occurred at 18:08 in Scotland, with the last glimpse ending just after 20.00.Spectators in Europe had to wait a little longer for the moon's orbit to cover the sun, although large parts of northern and central Spain, a section of Portugal and areas in Greenland and Iceland experienced the rare total eclipse.In the UK however, it will have reached its peak of 96 per cent after about an hour of its first glimpse, although the specific moment of peak coverage will depend on where a viewer is in the UK.At the eclipse's peak, the country descended into relative darkness and the temperature dropped, with many viewers taking in the rare spectacle at popular lookout points.If you missed this eclipse, the next chance to see such a significant natural phenomenon won't come to the UK until 2050, and you'll have to wait until 2090 for the next totality.Meanwhile, take in the extraordinary moment from this evening with a selection of the most striking pictures... The moon completely covers the sun during a total solar eclipse as seen from Arija, Spain A view of the total eclipse, as the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, as seen from on board the Ambassador cruise ship Ambition, off the coast of GreenlandThe Moon passes in between the Earth and the Sun 7.13pm, during the solar eclipse as seen from King's Stairs Gardens in Bermondsey, south LondonThe Moon passes in between the Earth and the Sun 6.38pm, at the start of the solar eclipse as seen from King's Stairs Gardens in Bermondsey, south London, the first total solar eclipse visible over mainland Europe since 1999 The moon partially covers the sun during a solar eclipse as seen from Arija, Spain The International Space Station, with a crew of seven onboard, is seen in silhouette as it transits at roughly five miles per second across the backdrop of the sun being partially blocked by the moon and some clouds People watch the solar eclipse during the European Athletics Championships Birmingham 2026 Passengers on board the Ambassador cruise ship Ambition watching the start of the total solar eclipse off the coast of Greenland Meanwhile, holidaymakers test their protective glasses ahead of a solar eclipse, at El Arenal beach in Mallorca Hundreds of residents and tourists pack the steep, grassy slopes of the historic Krakus Mound during the late afternoon to watch a solar eclipse in Krakow, Poland
