Facts About the Solar Eclipse: Interview With Stjörnu Sævar

Having witnessed multiple eclipses, Sævar shares insights about what makes this upcoming event special, interesting facts to know, the best viewing spots in Iceland, and what to expect during this event. Whether you’re just curious or planning to chase the eclipse, this Q&A session will help you prepare for an exciting experience.

It’s the first total eclipse visible from Iceland since 1954 and the first one to be seen from Reykjavík since 1433. We won’t catch another until 2196! The path of totality crosses the westernmost and most populated area in the country, Reykjavík too, which means that a large majority of the population can witness the spectacle. 

But most importantly, Iceland gets the longest duration of totality on land, at just over two minutes, in multiple easily accessed and photogenic locations. And so, Iceland is a great place to watch the event.

Well, Iceland is, of course, well-known for its otherworldly beauty, which will only add to the wonderful viewing experience. And since the point of longest duration lies in the ocean just west of the country, Icelanders can see the longest eclipse on land. Now, the only unknown is the same as everywhere: the weather. We know Iceland can be a cloudy place, but climate is what you expect, weather is what you get on eclipse day. I’m negotiating with the weather gods for clear skies everywhere.

If the weather is fine, it is an unforgettable, touching, and even life-changing experience. Shortly before totality, you’ll see how daylight takes on this alien, eerie, silvery hue. Colors will change, shadows become sharper and you’ll feel the temperature and wind change. 

Then, when the Moon is slowly covering the whole sun and its last rays disappear, a string of pearls and a diamond ring appear for only a couple of seconds until the Sun is completely eclipsed. It’s hard to really describe the awesomeness of it. And then it appears, in all its wonderful glory, the solar corona itself with its wispy, delicate tendrils extending far away from the Sun. 

For me, the solar corona is the most beautiful natural phenomenon I’ve ever seen (four times, which is not enough!). As soon as the total eclipse finishes, things change fast as if nothing in particular happened. Nature goes back to normal but a person might forever have changed. What did I just experience, one asks, and where and when is the next one? An eclipse chaser is born.

I wish I knew, as the answer is where the weather is best. But if you are chasing for the longest duration, the areas close to Látrabjarg in the south-western part of Westfjords are great. However, that area cannot really accommodate a large number of people, so the town of Patreksfjörður is a great option. The Snæfellsnes peninsula is another very good location, especially in the towns of Ólafsvík, Rif, Hellissandur, Arnarstapi, and Hellnar. 

Reykjavík is a fine location, too, with totality lasting for 1 minute. There you have the most options for places to stay. Then we have the Reykjanes peninsula, where you can witness the eclipse for around 1m 40s. Eclipse2026.is the site to see timings and durations for different locations. Just press on the interactive map to figure it all out.

Book a tour with a company, if you prefer, rent a car. Be prepared to be mobile and travel early on eclipse day if you need to change viewing sites. If the weather doesn’t cooperate, then make sure you have other travel plans before and after. Iceland has so many wonderful things to offer, and total eclipses are a nice excuse to venture somewhere you’ve never been before. If the skies are overcast, it will be very, very disappointing, but we’ll still experience something wonderful together no matter what.

The gasps, the OMG’s, and the tears flowing when people witness it for the first time. It’s a lot of fun to see other people's reactions. Even if I’ve seen four myself, I still get a lump in my throat and shed tears.

Iceland is obviously not exactly known for clear skies and perfect weather. The weather in August, however, is quite often pretty good. We do not need perfectly clear skies to witness the eclipse, even though that is, of course, the best possible scenario. 

High clouds don’t interfere, and partially clear skies can be fine, too. But we hope for the best and prepare accordingly. The worst-case scenario is a storm, but those aren’t very common that time of the year, fortunately.

Use safe solar eclipse glasses to watch the partial phase of the eclipse, then remove them perhaps 10-15 seconds before totality to watch the unbelievable beauty unfold. Watching totality with unaided eyes is the only way to witness the whole spectacle. 

When totality has ended, put the glasses back up and glimpse occasionally at the remaining partial eclipse. If using a telescope or photographing the partial eclipse, safe solar filters are a must. Then remove the filter a few seconds before totality and reattach after. It’s very simple and safe to watch a solar eclipse if you only follow these safety precautions. But if you’re seeing one for the first time, put your phone down or onto a tripod and just enjoy it.

Almost all of the westernmost part of Iceland sees a total solar eclipse. Every other part of the country east of the path of totality witnesses a very deep partial eclipse. There’s a huge difference between the two. Partial and total eclipses aren’t even in the same league. People who live outside the path and cannot travel to see totality will nevertheless witness a dramatic and beautiful change in the light. It’s not nearly as dramatic as a total eclipse, but still absolutely worth watching. 

Not using proper solar eclipse glasses and not removing them during totality. Solar eclipse glasses are cheap and can be purchased from Solmyrkvagleraugu.is in which people also support eclipse related educational programs for kids. Also, please don’t watch the event on your phone screen! I can promise you the view without a phone is much better than what the phone can pick up. If you want to record totality, put your phone on a tripod and just let it roll without you fiddling with it.

Eclipses are beautiful - for me, the most beautiful and awe-inspiring spectacle in nature. Total eclipses occur somewhere on the Earth every year and a half or so on average, so they’re not really rare. However, since the Moon’s shadow is very small and narrow, total eclipses are a rare sight from any given location, occurring every 375 years on average. 

People naturally become very interested in seeing eclipses because it is such an alien sight, so incredibly weird and unbelievably moving and beautiful. The whole experience of a total eclipse very often catches people by complete surprise. The total eclipse experience is great to increase interested in stargazing and astronomy in general, but also just the culture and the fun that comes with it.

Yes, very much so. Eclipses affect local communities financially since we can expect an influx of loads of people on that particular day, searching for places to stay, to dine and so forth. This flow of people, both local and travellers, can lead to traffic congestion and lack of resources in shops. 

Hopefully, we will prepare well and make the event positive for everyone, locals and travelers. That’s exactly why I’m having meetings with municipalities everywhere, hotels, tour companies, and local authorities. Preparation is key.

A lot. The history of total eclipses is fascinating. We went from being afraid we were being punished by angering the gods to understanding celestial mechanics in such a way that we can predict eclipses with astonishing accuracy more than a thousand years in advance. 

We discovered the element helium during an eclipse. The idea of curvature of spacetime from Einstein’s general theory of relativity was confirmed during an eclipse. Nowadays, people chase eclipses all over the world to witness their beauty.

We’ve just started preparations, but many ideas are floating around, and hopefully, most of them can be implemented. I desperately want to make the most of this opportunity to do science outreach and education in schools, for example, giving every school a solar scope and educational materials. For the general public and travelers, eclipse viewing parties will be organized in good places. A book, TV show, and more are being developed.

The path of totality lies over the eastern part of Greenland, over Iceland and ends in Spain. All these locations are very different, obviously, and each has their own charm I guess. The beautiful Greenland fjords will be beautiful to be in during totality. In Spain, the eclipse occurs close to or during sunset, so for example in Mallorca, people can witness a total eclipse sunset. However, there is a chance of low afternoon clouds blocking the view from there. 

In Iceland, you have relatively easy access to great locations and, of course, very photogenic sites. And then, we do have the possibility of seeing the Northern Lights on the same evening as the eclipse, as it gets dark enough shortly after midnight to see them. Noctilucent cloud season is also ongoing, and the Perseid meteor shower peaks. A quadruple whammy! Who wouldn’t like that?

Hopefully, festivities on eclipse day where visitors will watch the eclipse. Before and afterwards, make sure you travel around to different places all over the country. The whole island is relatively small, so it’s easy to get around. I always recommend taking a bath in some of our numerous geothermal baths, going for a scenic hike, whale watching, and, of course, chasing the Northern Lights when twilight gets darkest after midnight. Enjoy some of our delicious food, especially the fish! Watch late summer evening colors. Eclipse-related, we hope to offer talks and educational events for everyone interested before the eclipse happens.

In the near future, we’ll see a deep 70% partial solar eclipse on March 29, 2025. Also, not many people know that we are heading into the best years for Northern Lights chasing. We know for a fact, based on decades of observations, that the best aurora years always occur after solar maximum. Sun’s peak activity is predicted to be around October this year, and that means 2026, 27, 28, and 29 should be fantastic years for frequent, reliable, recurring aurora storms.

The astonishing beauty and how touching it is. There’s no natural experience like it. Even though I understand how the calculations are done, it never ceases to amaze me how accurate solar eclipse predictions are. We’ve come a long way, going from being afraid of eclipses to being awe-inspired with it.

It all started after a very deep (97-99%) partial solar eclipse in Iceland on Friday, March 20, 2015. I was working at the astrophysics department of the University of Iceland doing educational projects and got this crazy idea of giving every student and teacher in Iceland solar eclipse glasses for them to safely watch the eclipse as it took place during school hours. As luck would have it, almost the whole country was cloud-free that morning so it was a tremendously successful science education and outreach event, very memorable. 

I had been a frequent guest in the media prior to, during, and afterward, and someone suggested this nickname. [That's how 'Stjörnu Sævar' was created.] I don’t know exactly who coined it, but it has stuck ever since, which is fine with me. I can think of way worse nicknames. It’s pretty positive, I think, to be connected with the stars this way.