Solar eclipse on 12 August 2026 – how to photograph it safely

Deep partial eclipse over Central Europe: up to 92 % obscuration, right at sunset

On Wednesday, 12 August 2026, the Moon moves in front of the Sun – further than at any time over Central Europe since 11 August 1999. The umbral shadow passes over Greenland, Iceland and northern Spain; here we are left with a deep partial eclipse of around 88 to 92 % obscuration. The catch: the event coincides almost exactly with sunset. How much of it you get to see depends heavily on where you are standing – in Belgium and the Netherlands the eclipse runs almost all the way through, in eastern Austria and eastern Germany the Sun sets beforehand, and in Romania it only just becomes visible in the north-west. If you want to photograph it, you absolutely need a genuine solar filter in front of the lens – plus the right adapter for it. We have both in stock.

What actually happens on 12 August 2026

This is a total solar eclipse belonging to Saros cycle 126. The umbra begins in the Russian region of Krasnoyarsk, travels across the Arctic Ocean to Greenland, runs down Greenland’s east coast, grazes the extreme west of Iceland and ends over the northern half of Spain and the Balearic Islands.

The longest totality lasts 2 minutes and 18 seconds – west of Iceland over the Atlantic. On Iceland up to two minutes are possible, on the Balearics still around 1 minute 36 seconds.

In Central Europe a partial eclipse remains, running right up to sunset. Obscuration ranges from about 84 % in north-eastern Germany to more than 92 % in the south-west of the Alpine region.

The rule of thumb: the further west, the more you see

This is the decisive point for the evening – and almost everyone overlooks it. Across Central Europe the eclipse begins almost simultaneously, between 19:13 and 19:26 CEST. The difference arises at the other end: sunset cuts the event short.

What this means in practice: You need a clear view towards west-north-west, right down to just above the horizon. A balcony facing the next row of houses is not enough. Find an elevated spot – a hill, a viewing tower, a lakeshore, the coast – and be set up by 19:00 at the latest.

All times for your location

Nothing works without a solar filter

This is the part you must not skip. Even at 90 % obscuration the remaining 10 % of the solar disc is bright enough to damage your sensor, your shutter and your eye within seconds.

Three rules that always apply:

• Filter in front of the lens, never behind it. A filter behind the lens concentrates the Sun’s energy and can melt or shatter.

• No optical viewfinder. On a DSLR you work exclusively in Live View. On mirrorless cameras the electronic viewfinder is unproblematic – but the filter still has to sit at the front.

• Ordinary ND filters, polarisers or sunglasses are no substitute. An ND1000 is nowhere near enough. You need at least ND100000 (16.6 stops) plus a UV/IR block.

For naked-eye viewing you additionally need certified eclipse glasses to ISO 12312-2. Our solar filters are explicitly photographic filters – never look through them directly at the Sun.

JetMag Pro FS ND100000 – magnetically attached in two seconds

The NiSi JetMag Pro UV/IR Cut ND100000 (16.6 stops) is our recommendation for 12 August. It attaches magnetically within the JetMag Pro system and can therefore be fitted and removed in an instant – which matters, because during the eclipse you will switch between filtered and unfiltered several times once the Sun sits in the haze near the horizon.

The screw-in filter for large telephoto lenses

If you prefer to work with classic screw-in filters or have a lens with a 95 mm front thread, the Solar Filter UV/IR Cut ND100000 (95 mm) is the direct solution. Same glass, same specifications – simply screwed on instead of magnetically attached.