A deep partial solar eclipse passed over Poland on Wednesday, August 12, 2026: the Moon covered approximately 64% of the solar disk in the southeast of the country and more than 85% in the west, with the maximum occurring at around 20:00–20:10, low above the western horizon.
Updated August 28, 2026 — we are leaving the guide below in its archived version: the times referred to the event on August 12, but the rules for safe solar observation remain valid for every subsequent eclipse.
There will be no path of totality over us — Poland lies outside it. The Moon’s dark shadow will begin at sunrise over Siberia’s Taymyr Peninsula, cross the Arctic Ocean, eastern Greenland and western Iceland, and then continue across the Atlantic. A total eclipse will be visible to residents of Iceland, northern Spain and a small part of Portugal — the municipality of Bragança. Here, the solar disk will be deeply bitten into, and at one of the most beautiful times of day.
What time will the eclipse begin? Times for cities
The moment of first contact depends on where you are standing: things get interesting earliest over the Baltic coast and latest in the south. The differences are measured in minutes, but with an event that ends together with sunset, every minute matters. Arrive earlier than the table indicates — looking for a spot with a western view after the fact will cost you the most valuable minutes.
| City | Eclipse begins | Maximum |
|---|---|---|
| Gdańsk | 19:11 | approx. 20:00–20:10 (general range for the country) |
| Szczecin | 19:13 | 20:06 |
| Warsaw | 19:14–19:15 | approx. 20:03 |
| Poznań | 19:15 | 20:07 |
| Wrocław | 19:17 | 20:09 |
| Kraków | 19:18 | visible maximum at approx. 19:56 — the Sun will set before the formal maximum; observation will end at approx. 20:04 |
Of the locations mentioned by the sources, the maximum occurs latest in Jelenia Góra — at 20:10. The coverage increases from the southeast toward the west: from approximately 64% to more than 85%, reaching around 88% in the Kłodzko Valley area. Kraków has the most difficult conditions in this respect: the Sun will set there before the eclipse reaches its formal maximum, so the spectacle will end halfway through.
Never look at the Sun with the naked eye. This is not an exaggeration
A partial eclipse can be deceptive because even a narrow crescent of the solar disk shines strongly enough to permanently damage the retina. The worst part is that the body sends no warning signal in this situation.
Retinal damage from looking at the Sun is painless. The absence of pain does not mean it is safe.
- These do not protect your eyes: sunglasses, smoked glass, photographic film, a CD, emergency blanket foil or camera filters.
- Only these provide protection: certified solar-viewing glasses complying with ISO 12312-2, as well as special telescope and lens filters. Hold them up to the light before going outside — a scratch or pinhole makes them unusable.
- Do not point a camera, phone or binoculars at the Sun without a certified filter. You risk damaging both the sensor and your own eye.
Don’t have certified glasses and won’t have time to buy them? There is a free and completely safe method: pinhole projection. Make a small hole in a sheet of paper, hold it with your back to the Sun and catch the image on a second sheet — you will see the crescent of the solar disk on the paper while looking at the screen the entire time, not at the sky. Tree shade creates the same effect: gaps between the leaves cast hundreds of tiny crescents onto the pavement.
Where should you stand? You need an unobstructed western view
This is the most important practical tip of the entire evening: in many places, the Sun will set before the eclipse officially ends. A view from a courtyard between apartment blocks will not be enough. Look for a hill, an open field, a seashore or lakeshore, or a high floor with a west-facing window. The lower the horizon line appears in your view, the longer the observation will last.
It is worth checking your observation spot in advance, during the day. It is difficult to tell from a map whether the western view ends at a wall of trees or the roof of a neighboring building, and in the evening there will be no time to relocate. The simplest option is to stand there the day before at the same time and simply check whether you can see the setting Sun from that location. Also bring something to sit on and a flashlight — it gets dark faster after sunset than you might think.
If clouds obscure the sunset, there is no point rushing from city to city. Online broadcasts from places where the eclipse will be total remain an option, along with a little luck — a break in the clouds low above the horizon, because that is where the whole event will unfold.
The Perseid maximum on the same night
The calendar has arranged the evening and night as a package deal. The Perseid meteor shower reaches its maximum on the night of August 12–13, so after sunset you only need to stay where you are, spread a blanket on the grass and wait for the sky to become properly dark. Under favorable conditions, people even speak of around 100 meteors per hour — but this is a theoretical figure calculated for a perfectly dark sky, not a promise to observers under a city streetlamp. The farther you get from artificial lights and the longer your eyes have to adapt to the darkness, the more worthwhile it is to wait.
For an August trip out of town
An evening with an eclipse and a night with the Perseids is the most summery plan of the month — and it calls for jewelry that is light, warm-toned and resistant to a blanket spread on the grass. Sunny citrine and honey-brown tiger's eye look their best in the August light — 10% off with the code BRAZIBLOG10.
Update after the peak (August 16): the shower remained active roughly until August 24 — the number of meteors decreased each night, but under a dark sky it was still possible to catch individual “shooting stars.” The best time to look for them is after midnight, away from city lights; the thin crescent Moon after new moon sets early and does not interfere with observation.
Two weeks later — a lunar eclipse. On the night of August 27–28, Earth covered almost the entire lunar disk; from Poland, only the earlier part of the event was visible because the Moon set before the maximum — see how it unfolded and when the next opportunities will be.
What people used to say about eclipses
Before the Moon’s movement could be calculated years in advance, the Sun disappearing in the middle of the day caused understandable anxiety. In the past, people believed that a celestial animal or demon was devouring the disk and tried to drive it away with noise; in many traditions, an eclipse was interpreted as a sign of change. Today, it is simply geometry that can be predicted to the minute — while the stories remain as an interesting record of the fear people once felt toward the sky.
Astrological tradition adds its own thread to the August sky: it is Leo season, a sign associated with stones of a sunny nature — pyrite, citrine and tiger's eye. We treat this solely as a belief, not as physics; no stone affects the Moon’s movement or anyone’s affairs. If you enjoy such associations, you can find the stones traditionally linked with Leo in the Leo collection, and the complete list in the guide to stones for the zodiac signs.
Evenings like this do not happen often: the last total solar eclipse visible from continental Europe occurred on August 11, 1999. This year’s eclipse was partial here, but coverage of more than 85% of the solar disk over western Poland is a sight that occurs only once every many years. The rules for future opportunities remain the same: a spot with a good view, certified glasses or an ordinary sheet of paper with a pinhole. Then stay on the grass a little longer — the sky has a second act planned for the night.