Topline
Want to livestream today’s total solar eclipse? On Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, the moon’s shadow will sweep across the Arctic and Europe, bringing totality to parts of Russia, Greenland, Iceland and Spain. Meanwhile, millions of people across Europe, North America and northwest Africa will see a deep partial solar eclipse. Here are the best, most trusted livestreams — including some that will broadcast views of the moon’s umbral shadow from multiple locations.
Key Facts
It will be the first total solar eclipse visible from mainland Europe since 1999, but it will only be visible from a narrow 180-mile (290-kilometer) path of totality — and in Spain, totality happens close to sunset, with the eclipse low in the sky.
To experience totality — the brief opportunity to see the sun’s corona with the naked eye — you must be inside the path of totality. Eclipse glasses can be removed only during the total phase, when the sun is completely covered. Everywhere else, and throughout the partial phases, certified solar eclipse glasses will be essential.
Parts of North America will see a partial solar eclipse. The best views will be in eastern Canada and the northeastern U.S., with Newfoundland seeing a 53% eclipse, Québec City 24%, Boston 16%, and New York 10%.
Beware fake or misleading eclipse feeds on YouTube, including channels that replay footage of earlier eclipses while presenting it as live. The broadcasts below are from established scientific organizations, museums and experienced eclipse broadcasters.
Overnight on Aug. 12-13, the Perseid meteor shower will peak for everyone in the Northern Hemisphere, giving skywatchers a chance to see about 50 “shooting stars” per hour.
1. Timeanddate
Timeanddate has already scheduled its live broadcast of the Aug. 12 total solar eclipse on YouTube. Hosted by Anne Buckle and Graham Jones, the program will combine live telescope images, eclipse animations, maps, local circumstances and expert commentary as the moon’s shadow crosses the path of totality. The main Timeanddate team plans to broadcast from near León in northwestern Spain and to receive a feed from Mallorca near the end of the eclipse path, where the totally eclipsed sun will be extremely close to the western horizon. There will also be feeds from Icelandic astronomer and science educator Sævar Helgi Bragason.
2. European Space Agency
The European Space Agency will host an international English-language broadcast on ESA Web TV from the Observatorio Astrofísico de Javalambre in Teruel, Spain. The observatory is inside the path of totality and occupies a high-altitude site well suited to professional astronomical observations. The program will be hosted by award-winning space scientist and broadcaster Dame Maggie Aderin. Guests will include ESA Director of Science Professor Carole Mundell, alongside astronomers and other experts discussing eclipse science, the sun and the wider importance of solar research.
3. Exploratorium
The Exploratorium in San Francisco will provide a free telescope livestream from Villalibedo in the path of totality in northern Spain, continuing more than 25 years of eclipse broadcasts produced. Its live telescope feed will begin at 10:30 a.m. PDT (1:30 p.m. EDT) on Aug. 12, on the Exploratorium’s website and YouTube channel. Totality at the observing site will occur just before local sunset, placing the eclipsed sun close to the western horizon. The broadcast will feature a live, magnified telescope view of the eclipsed sun. The Exploratorium will also hold an in-person watch party at Pier 15 in San Francisco from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. PDT. The event will include narration by Exploratorium senior scientist Ron Hipschman, an Eclipse 101 presentation, solar-telescope observing and practical demonstrations of eclipse science.
4. Slooh
Online telescope service Slooh will host a public eclipse “Star Party” beginning at 1 p.m. EDT on Aug. 12 on YouTube. The program is expected to combine live telescope imagery with commentary explaining the mechanics of the eclipse and the phenomena visible during totality. Slooh’s broadcasts are designed for a broad audience and typically feature astronomers and science educators discussing events as they unfold. Its eclipse program will be followed later the same day by another Star Party devoted to the peak of the Perseid meteor shower.
5. NASA
NASA will host a live English-language broadcast of the total solar eclipse on NASA TV and its online platforms beginning at 1:15 p.m. EDT. The program will feature live views from along the path of totality, including Iceland and Spain, alongside interviews with NASA scientists and eclipse experts. During the broadcast, NASA will also highlight scientific investigations taking place during the eclipse, including a NASA-funded mission using a WB-57 high-altitude research aircraft to study the sun’s corona and the NASA-supported Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project, in which university students in Iceland and Spain will launch scientific balloons to investigate how the eclipse affects Earth’s atmosphere.
6. SETI
The California Academy of Sciences and the SETI Institute will host a public total solar eclipse celebration in San Francisco beginning at 10:30 a.m. PDT. The event will combine live-streamed views of the eclipse from Iceland and northern Spain with a live performance by the 35-member International Space Orchestra, an ensemble of astronauts, scientists, engineers and researchers. Hosted by Dr. Asa Stahl of The Planetary Society and SETI Institute research scientist Dr. Lauren Sgro, the program will also feature talks by SETI Institute scientists about eclipse science and the sun, together with a live audience Q&A. The event is included with museum admission and will also be streamed live on YouTube.
