A total solar eclipse crossed Greenland, Iceland and northern Spain on Wednesday, the first time the moon's full shadow has touched mainland Europe since 1999.
The path began at sunrise over the uninhabited Taymyr Peninsula in Siberian Russia, arced up and over the Arctic, then dropped onto eastern Greenland before crossing the western coast of Iceland, the North Atlantic, northern Spain and a small corner of Portugal, NASA said. Maximum totality lasted 2 minutes and 18 seconds.
The geometry was unusual. Most total eclipses race roughly west to east; this one looped over the top of the planet. In Greenland and Iceland the sun went dark in the late afternoon or early evening, while in Spain and northwestern Portugal totality arrived shortly before sunset, according to NASA.
The path across Spain was relatively wide, about 290 kilometers, giving the country the largest viewing population along the track.
Iceland, home to fewer than 400,000 people, braced for as many as 20,000 additional overseas visitors during an already busy tourist season. The 70-room Hotel Keflavik in Reykjanesbaer was fully booked, with guests expecting roughly one minute and 45 seconds of totality, PBS reported. Cloud cover and rain complicated viewing in parts of the island.
Much of the Northern Hemisphere saw a partial eclipse, including most of Canada, the northern United States from Alaska to North Carolina, much of Europe and northwestern Africa. Madrid, London and Paris each saw at least 90% coverage, CBS New York reported.
In New York City, well outside the path, the sun was partially obscured in the afternoon. Onlookers gathered in parks and plazas with protective glasses left over from the 2024 eclipse.
Astronomers stress that eye protection is required during every phase except totality itself, and only for observers inside the narrow path.
The next total solar eclipse arrives in August 2027, with a much longer track running across North Africa and the Middle East.