A total solar eclipse will soon cross parts of the Northern Hemisphere. This event marks the first total solar eclipse visible from mainland Europe in 27 years since the one in August 1999.
During the eclipse the Moon will pass directly in front of the Sun casting its shadow across more than 5,100 miles or 8,300 kilometers of the planet. The path will take the shadow over the Arctic region Greenland Iceland northern Spain and the Balearic Islands.
Observers positioned within the narrow corridor of totality will witness the Moon fully obscuring the Sun for as long as two minutes and 18 seconds. This will transform daylight into a brief twilight and allow viewers to see the Suns delicate outer atmosphere known as the corona.
The eclipse begins above remote areas of Arctic Russia then proceeds across the Arctic Ocean Greenland Iceland the Atlantic Ocean and into northern Spain. Spain provides one of the more convenient locations for observation although the event occurs close to sunset. Spectators there will require an unobstructed view toward the western horizon as the Sun sits low in the sky.
Iceland offers a higher position of the Sun during the eclipse but frequent clouds may hinder visibility. Greenland presents opportunities for some of the most extended and striking views yet many prime sites remain highly remote and difficult to reach.
Even those outside the path of totality can experience a partial solar eclipse. In regions such as the United Kingdom Ireland France Portugal and parts of Spain more than 90 percent of the Sun will be obscured. Certain areas of Canada and the northern United States will also see a partial covering though the effect will be less pronounced in most American cities.
August 12 brings additional celestial highlights. Six planets will align visibly across the predawn sky and the Perseid meteor shower reaches its peak that night under ideal dark moonless conditions.
Safety remains essential for all observers. Certified solar eclipse glasses must be worn throughout every partial phase of the event. Regular sunglasses fail to offer adequate protection and direct viewing of the Sun without proper filters can cause permanent eye damage.
Archaeologists have uncovered a remarkable 5,000-year-old artificial island, known as a crannog, submerged in Loch Bhorgastail on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides. The site significantly predates Stonehenge and challenges long-held assumptions about the origins of these structures.
While most Scottish crannogs were previously thought to date to the Iron Age, this Neolithic example began as a large circular timber platform, roughly 23 meters (75 feet) wide. Over centuries, successive generations expanded it by layering brushwood, timber, and stone, creating a communal structure passed down through time. A submerged stone causeway once linked the island to the shore.
Hundreds of Neolithic pottery fragments, many retaining traces of ancient food residues, were recovered around the site. This suggests the crannog served as a gathering place for feasting and possibly communal rituals or ceremonies during the Neolithic period.
The discovery was achieved through innovative shallow-water archaeology techniques, including diver-operated stereo cameras and aerial drones that produced detailed 3D models merging underwater and terrestrial data. This approach is now enabling researchers to investigate other previously overlooked sites in Scotland’s lochs.
[Blankshein, S., Garrow, D., & Sturt, F. (2026). Revealing the Neolithic origins of a crannog: High-resolution 3D recording at Loch Bhorgastail, Isle of Lewis. Advances in Archaeological Practice. University of Southampton]
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