Solar Eclipse Almost Completely Darkens Biarritz

Biarritz – 12 August 2026: Over Biarritz, the Sun almost completely disappeared behind the Moon on Wednesday evening. At the maximum at 8:26 p.m., 99.5 percent of the solar disc was covered. The Basque Atlantic coast thus offered one of the most impressive sights in France, although the location lay just outside the zone where a total solar eclipse was visible.

According to astronomical calculations, the celestial spectacle began in Biarritz at 7:31 p.m. The Moon then moved further and further in front of the low-hanging Sun. At its peak, only a narrow, extraordinarily bright rim remained visible. Because the end of the eclipse coincided with sunset, observers needed the clearest possible view over the western horizon.

France lay outside the narrow zone of totality. The Moon’s umbra crossed the North Atlantic, Iceland and northern Spain as far as the Balearic Islands. There, the Sun was temporarily completely obscured. From Biarritz, the eclipse remained partial in astronomical terms, even if the difference from totality appeared slight given the high degree of coverage.

The darkening was also clearly noticeable in other parts of France. According to published calculations, around 92 percent of the solar disc was covered in Paris, about 90 percent in Lille and nearly 98 percent in Toulouse. The country’s highest values were recorded in the southwest near the Pyrenees. How well the phenomenon could be observed depended on local cloud cover and an unobstructed horizon.

Météo-France had expected mostly favorable viewing conditions across large parts of the country for the evening. During such a strong partial eclipse, brightness decreases noticeably. Near the ground, temperature, wind and humidity can also change briefly. Unlike during a total eclipse, however, part of the Sun’s surface always remains visible and therefore dangerously bright.

Directly looking at the Sun was therefore safe throughout the event only with suitable protective filters. Since no location in mainland France lay within the zone of totality, eclipse glasses could not be removed there at any time. The French space agency CNES and the Association française d’astronomie recommend certified eclipse glasses complying with ISO 12312-2 or indirect projection methods. Ordinary sunglasses, photographic filters and smoked glass do not provide sufficient protection.

The eclipse of 12 August 2026 was the first total solar eclipse since 1999 that could once again be observed in parts of Europe. In mainland France, it remained an exceptionally strong partial event. For Biarritz, the Association française d’astronomie recorded France’s highest degree of coverage at 99.5 percent.