The August 12 Solar Eclipse: How to Capture It Safely With a Smartphone

On August 12, 2026, the sky over much of the Northern Hemisphere will provide one of the year’s most spectacular astronomical events – a total solar eclipse whose path will cross parts of Europe.
The total eclipse will be visible from Greenland, Iceland, a remote part of northern Russia, the Atlantic Ocean, Spain and a small area of northwestern Portugal. Across much of the rest of Europe, the Moon will cover a significant part of the Sun, producing a partial eclipse.
Spain will offer some of the most dramatic views. Totality will occur late in the evening, when the Sun is already low above the horizon and approaching sunset.
According to NASA’s calculations, the total phase reaches Spain at around 20:28 Central European Summer Time, although the exact time and duration will depend on the observer’s location.
In Iceland, totality will occur earlier, at around 17:45 local time, with the path of the Moon’s shadow crossing the western part of the country.
The United Kingdom will not experience totality, but observers will see a very deep partial solar eclipse. Depending on location, roughly 90% or more of the solar disk will be covered in many areas, with some of the best conditions expected in southwestern parts of the country.
The event will be extremely attractive to photographers, but capturing it does not necessarily require professional camera equipment. Modern smartphones can produce impressive results if they are used correctly.
Safety is the most important consideration. During all partial phases of a solar eclipse, people must never look directly at the Sun without proper solar protection. Ordinary sunglasses are not sufficient.
Special eclipse glasses or certified solar viewers designed specifically for direct observation of the Sun should be used.
Similar caution applies when pointing a smartphone camera at the Sun. Prolonged exposure to intense sunlight can potentially damage camera components, particularly when optical attachments or telephoto equipment concentrate the incoming light.
The safest approach is to place an appropriate solar filter in front of the camera lens. The filter should remain in place throughout all partial phases of the eclipse.
For observers located inside the path of totality, there is one exceptional moment. Only when the Sun is completely covered by the Moon during totality can the solar filter be temporarily removed.
At that moment, the Sun’s corona – its outer atmosphere – becomes visible around the dark silhouette of the Moon.
As soon as totality ends and even a small portion of the bright solar surface begins to reappear, protective filters must immediately be put back in place.
For sharper photographs, placing the smartphone on a tripod or another stable support is recommended. This reduces camera movement and makes precise framing easier.
The Sun does not necessarily have to fill the entire image. One of the most interesting characteristics of the August 2026 eclipse will be the Sun’s low position above the horizon in Spain and other parts of western Europe.
This creates opportunities to include mountains, buildings, coastlines or silhouettes of people in the composition. Such images can often be more dramatic than a heavily magnified photograph showing only the Sun.
Smartphones equipped with optical zoom can use their telephoto cameras, but excessive digital zoom should generally be avoided because it can significantly reduce image quality.
Manually lowering the exposure can also help. The Sun is extraordinarily bright, and a smartphone’s automatic settings may struggle to balance such an unusual scene correctly.
Video is another option. Recording the eclipse can capture not only the changing light but also the reactions of people around you as totality approaches.
A time-lapse can show the gradual movement of the Moon across the solar disk. The smartphone should remain securely mounted, while an appropriate solar filter must protect the camera throughout the partial phases.
Photography, however, should not become a reason to miss the experience itself. Totality lasts only a short time – generally less than two minutes along much of the European path.
NASA is also preparing coverage of the August 12 event and will use the eclipse for scientific observations of the solar corona and Earth’s atmosphere.
Scientists can use a total solar eclipse to study regions close to the Sun that are normally overwhelmed by the brightness of the solar disk, while observations from different locations provide valuable information about how Earth’s atmosphere responds to the sudden reduction in sunlight.
For Europe, August 12, 2026 will provide a rare opportunity to experience a total solar eclipse without travelling to another continent. Millions of other Europeans outside the narrow path of totality will still witness a deep partial eclipse.
And the smartphone that almost everyone carries can be enough to preserve a memorable image of the event – provided that getting the perfect photograph never takes priority over safely observing the Sun.