What to expect during totality at the 2026 eclipse

A total solar eclipse is one of the most awe-inspiring natural phenomena a person can witness. Here is what you will see and feel during the approximately 2 minutes of complete darkness.

The sequence of events

Before totality (C1 → C2)

During the partial phase (roughly 1 hour before totality), the Moon progressively covers the Sun. You won't notice dramatic changes until the last few minutes.

About 15 minutes before C2, the quality of daylight begins to shift: it becomes colder, almost unreal. Colors desaturate. Animals start behaving as if night is falling.

Second contact (C2) — totality begins

At the instant of C2, the last fragment of the solar photosphere disappears. Several things happen in seconds:

• Baily's beads — bright points of light flickering through lunar valleys
• The diamond ring — an intense flash just before total darkness
• The solar corona — the Sun's outer atmosphere, normally invisible, appears as a structured silvery halo around the black disk

During totality (C2 → C3)

• The sky darkens enough to see bright planets and stars (Venus will be visible in 2026)
• Temperature drops 3–8°C in minutes
• The horizon in every direction shows a 360° sunrise-like glow
• The chromosphere — the Sun's pinkish layer — may be visible at the edges of the lunar disk
• Possible solar prominences: arcs of pink plasma

Third contact (C3) — end of totality

The diamond ring reappears and the Sun returns. Totality is over. The process now reverses for another hour until C4.

Fourth contact (C4) — this is where the eclipse ends

C4 is the official end of the eclipse: the Sun fully exits the lunar shadow and becomes a complete disk again. In August 2026 at many sites across Spain C4 will not be visible: the Sun will be so low toward the west-northwest that it will have already set behind the terrain or the horizon before C4 arrives.

This is not a problem for most observers — the important part already happened between C2 and C3, the totality phase. C4 only matters if you want to document the eclipse from start to finish: photographers chasing the full sequence, astronomers timing contacts, or curious viewers who want to see it close. For everyone else, if you make it to C3 you can call the day a success.

Also keep in mind that the naked-eye effect during the partial phases (C1→C2 and C3→C4) is modest: with eclipse glasses you'll see a bitten Sun, but sky, temperature and light barely change until the last minutes before totality.

Photography during totality

• During the partial phase: always use a certified solar filter (ISO 12312-2)
• During totality: remove the filter; expose for the corona (ISO 400, f/8, 1/250 s as a starting point)
• Tip: plan your camera settings in advance; don't lose totality staring at a screen

What NOT to do

• Look at the Sun without a filter outside of totality; causes irreversible retinal damage
• Rely on regular sunglasses; they are not adequate
• Try to see totality from outside the path; the Sun is never fully covered from there

Recommended equipment

• Certified eclipse glasses (ISO 12312-2 / CE)
• Telescope or binocular solar filter for the partial phase
• No filter at any point during totality

The 2026 eclipse is total over Spain: the Moon completely covers the solar disk. Do not confuse with annular eclipses (where a ring of the Sun remains visible and glasses must be kept on).