On Wednesday, August 12, 2026, the Moon moves in front of the Sun and takes a large part of its brilliance. In Austria and Central Germany, the partial solar eclipse begins in the late evening, with the maximum at around 20:10 to 20:17, after which the Perseid meteor shower reaches its maximum in a moonless night.
Vienna, July 28, 2026
On the evening of August 12, 2026, a deep partial solar eclipse will be visible over Austria and Central Germany, immediately followed by the maximum of the Perseid meteor shower in a moonless night.
On Wednesday, August 12, 2026, the Moon moves in front of the Sun and takes a large part of its brilliance. The celestial event begins in Austria between 19:21 and 19:25, in Central Germany between 19:16 in Magdeburg and 19:19 in the Vogtland: the Moon touches the Sun's edge.
The maximum is experienced almost everywhere between 20:10 and 20:12 in Central Germany. At around 20:00, about 70 percent of the Sun is covered; astronomers usually give the "magnitude" of the eclipse: how deeply the Moon moves in front of the Sun, measured against the Sun's diameter. That is 0.88 here – so 88 percent. Those who specify the covered area instead arrive at a smaller value, in this case around 86 percent. In Vienna, more than 89 percent of the Sun will be eclipsed; depending on the location, between 85.2 percent (Weißwasser) and 87.1 percent (Sonneberg and Suhl) will be obscured.
The most exciting part, however, coincides exactly with sunset. Therefore, the pale light and a noticeable cooling are likely to be less apparent than during an eclipse in the middle of the day. At the maximum of the eclipse, the Sun is only 1.7 to 4.1 degrees above the horizon – the width of the little finger on an outstretched arm covers about one degree. In Görlitz it disappears behind the horizon as early as 20:27, when it is still 56 percent eclipsed. Leipzig loses it at 20:38 at 34 percent, Eisenach has the longest time with it at 20:46.
According to the Austrian Astronomical Association, this is the deepest eclipse in Vienna since August 11, 1999. An eclipse this deep has not occurred over Germany since August 11, 1999, and the next total one is not until 2081. The last contact also remains invisible throughout Austria, because the Sun sets before that. For Graz, the start on August 12, 2026 is given as 19:24, the largest visible phase there is reached at 20:11, and at 20:14 the spectacle is over. Overall, the partial solar eclipse in Graz lasts about 50 minutes, then the horizon draws the curtain.
A solar eclipse can only occur at new moon – and new moon means: no moonlight at night. „Allerdings ist ein sehr dunkler Sonnenuntergang zu erwarten, wenn das Wetter mitspielt", so der Österreichische Astronomische Verein. The Perseids reach their calculated maximum on August 12 at around 18:47, but the spectacle only becomes visible after nightfall – it doesn't get really dark until between 22:56 in Dresden and 23:15 in Magdeburg, and by half past three it is already dawning again. Because a solar eclipse can only occur at new moon, no bright moonlight disrupts the view of the shooting stars this night.
In the night of August 13, the Perseid meteor shower also reaches its maximum – the Perseids with up to 100 shooting stars per hour. The point of origin of the shooting stars in the constellation Perseus rises from about 22 degrees at 21:00 to 64 degrees at 4:00. At the maximum, many fast, bright meteors can then be expected in dark, clear hours, appearing to come from one direction in the sky.
At least 19 organizers invite people to watch along. The Sonneberg Astronomy Museum openly tells its guests that the eclipse will be barely visible from the Sternwartenberg – and spontaneously turns the evening into a shooting star night. The Astroclub Radebeul moves its observation entirely to the higher-lying Gönnsdorf Observatory. The Zwickau Observatory cannot see anything from its own grounds and sets up on Ebersbrunner Straße. Crimmitschau goes to an open area near Thonhausen, and the Kanena Planetarium is still looking for a suitable location.
In Weißwasser, the Station for Technology, Natural Sciences and Art invites people to a family festival at the tower on Schwerer Berg. On the Bieleboh near Beiersdorf, the mountain of the Sorbian light deity Belobog, there is a sound art day with concerts until midnight. At the Krabat Mill in Hoyerswerda-Schwarzkollm, astrophysics meets the Sorbian world of legends, with craft tables, experiments, and the German Center for Astrophysics as a partner.
Astronomers warn: only look at the Sun through a certified solar eclipse glasses according to ISO 12312-2 standard. Sunglasses, sooted glass, rescue blankets, or exposed film do not protect. In addition: never look at the Sun through binoculars or a telescope unless a suitable filter is attached to the front of the optic. Holding the protective glasses to the eyepiece is not sufficient.
Those on site can enter their place of residence on the "time and date" website and check when the solar eclipse begins for them and what it will roughly look like. The first locations start as early as around 19:21, others follow a few minutes later. In the end, it is not only the Moon that decides about the performance, but also the cloud cover.
Just a few days later, a second highlight follows on the morning of August 28: On the morning of August 28, the Moon moves 94 percent into the Earth's umbra, so almost nothing is missing for a total lunar eclipse. From 4:33 it can be well observed, then the Moon is still 14 degrees high in the west-southwest. The eclipsed Moon sets before the spectacle is over – between 6:17 in Dresden and 6:28 in Erfurt, almost simultaneously with sunrise.
