UAE will miss total solar eclipse on August 12

The UAE will not witness the total solar eclipse occurring on August 12, 2026, as the rare astronomical phenomenon’s path of totality remains confined to the Northern Hemisphere and parts of Europe. The event will bypass the Middle East entirely, leaving local skies unchanged during the peak of the eclipse. Global path of visibility The total solar eclipse, where the moon completely obscures the sun, is projected to begin over the Arctic Ocean before traveling across Greenland and Iceland. It will conclude its trajectory over the Iberian Peninsula, covering northern Spain and parts of Portugal. According to the Emirates Astronomy Society (EAS), the moon’s shadow will not reach the Arabian Peninsula, making the event invisible from any point within the UAE. Ibrahim Al Jarwan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the EAS, confirmed that the geographical coordinates of the UAE fall outside the visibility zone for both the total and partial phases of this specific alignment. While Europe will experience its first total solar eclipse in over two decades, residents in the Gulf will have no direct view of the celestial event. Upcoming regional events While the August 2026 eclipse will…