On August 12, 2026, the moon will appear to move directly across the solar disk. Although a total solar eclipse, one in which the moon completely blocks the Sun, will only be visible in parts of Spain, Portugal, and Iceland, observers in other parts of the world, including St. John’s, Newfoundland, will experience a partial solar eclipse in which the moon will only obscure part of the Sun. If you plan view the August 12 partial solar eclipse in St. John’s NL, keep reading!
In St. John’s, the moon will block slightly more than half of the solar disk when the eclipse is at maximum just after 3:30 p.m. (See the St. John’s eclipse time table below.) The entire partial eclipse event here will last for about 2 hours and 9 minutes.
Exact Solar Eclipse Times for St. John’s
| Eclipse Phase | Local Time (NDT) on August 12, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Partial Eclipse Begins | 2:28:45 p.m. |
| Maximum Eclipse (61% Coverage) | 3:34:59 p.m. |
| Partial Eclipse Ends | 4:37:02 p.m. |
2:28:45 p.m. Partial Eclipse Begins
If one observes the Sun safely at this moment, one will see a subtle shadow along the Sun’s upper limb. For the next hour and six minutes, the moon’s dark disk will appear to grow against the disk until the eclipse reaches its maximum extent.
3:34:59 p.m. Maximum Eclipse
At this moment, the lunar obscuration of the Sun will be at a maximum. Here in St John’s, that means that 61% of the Sun’s diameter and 53% of its disc will be blocked by the moon.
4:37:02 p.m. Partial Eclipse Ends
At this moment, the moon will move completely away from the Sun’s disc, leaving it wholly unobscured.
Solar Eclipse Q and A:
Is it safe to observe this eclipse without eye protection?
Definitely not. Besides, your eyes will not allow you to look at the Sun during the eclipse. Despite the partial blockage, the Sun’s brightness will remain too intense for direct viewing. One will need to obtain ISO-certified solar eclipse glasses purchased from a reputable dealer in order to safely watch the eclipse.
However, if you cannot find any of these shades, you can also construct your own viewer. [Refer to this NASA video:
https://science.nasa.gov/resource/how-to-make-a-box-pinhole-projector-video/ ]
What will we actually “see” during this eclipse?
The only discernible change that you will see with the naked eye will be in the sky around the time of maximum eclipse. The reduction in sunlight will slightly darken the sky so that it might appear to be later in the afternoon than it actually is. You might also notice that the air has become slightly cooler. If you are watching the sun safely with eclipse glasses, however, you will actually see the Moon blocking part of the solar disk.
So, we won’t see the stars?
No, alas, I am afraid the only star you’ll see is the Sun. Stars only appear during totality, when the moon entirely blocks the Sun.
When will St. John’s experience another total solar eclipse?
We’ll divide our answer into two parts: partials and totals. The next four partial solar eclipses visible in St John’s will occur on:
- August 2, 2027 (Magnitude: 0.403)
- January 26, 2028 (Magnitude: 0.195)
- January 14, 2029 (Magnitude: 0.379)
- March 30, 2033 (Magnitude: 0.115)
As for total solar eclipses, well, we’ll have to wait a bit.
Although Newfoundland will next experience a total solar eclipse on May 1, 2079, St. John’s will not be within the totality path. Unfortunately, St. John’s will not experience another total solar eclipse until July 17, 2205.
Why don’t we experience solar eclipses every month?
A solar eclipse occurs when the moon moves in front of the Sun from Earth’s perspective. Such an eclipse can only happen during the new moon phase (conjunction), when the moon passes between Earth and the Sun. Since successive new moons are separated by 29.5 days, solar eclipses would occur once a month, except that most of the time the moon, Sun and Earth are not precisely aligned when the moon is new. The moon’s orbit is inclined relative to Earth’s orbit by about 5 degrees. Consequently, when new, the moon will most often be “above” or “below” Earth’s orbital plane. Only when the new moon is at or near a node, an intersection point between the moon’s orbit and that of Earth, will a solar eclipse occur.
What’s the difference between “magnitude” and “obscuration?”
“Magnitude” measures the percentage of the sun’s angular diameter that the moon will block at maximum eclipse. “Obscuration” measures the percentage of the Sun’s disc that the moon will block at maximum eclipse. No, these values are generally not the same. For instance, if the moon blocked exactly one half of the Sun’s angular diameter (magnitude 0.50), the obscuration would be about 0.37, meaning that only 37% of the Sun’s disc would be blocked. In St. John’s, the magnitude at maximum eclipse will be 0.617, but the obscuration will equal about 53.1%. Slightly more than half of the Sun will be blocked at maximum eclipse.
Solar eclipses and lunar eclipses come in “pairs?” Will we see a lunar eclipse as well?
It is true that a lunar eclipse either precedes or follows a solar eclipse by about two weeks. St. John’s will experience a partial lunar eclipse on August 28th between 12:03 a.m. – 3:21 a.m.
I understand that the moon is slowly moving away from Earth. Does that mean that eventually solar eclipses will come to an end?
Yes, indeed. Although mathematical astronomers have been fighting about this issue for many years, I defer to the work of Belgian astronomer Jean Meeus, who determined that total solar eclipses will continue to occur for about another 600 million years.
I heard that if you go to the right place in space you can see a total solar eclipse at any time. Is that correct?
Well, technically, yes. Remember that during a total solar eclipse, the moon’s shadow cone is sweeping across a narrow band along Earth. Since the moon is always casting a shadow, if you went to the spot where the cone tapers down almost to a point, you would be able to see an eclipse. Good luck with that. Note: one exception is when the moon is wholly immersed in Earth’s shadow cone during a total lunar eclipse. During such an eclipse, the moon does not produce a shadow cone as it is cut off from its light source.
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