Topic Lifecycle: Fading
This topic is fading from the news cycle. Coverage has dropped to 1484s, down 89% from its peak of 13524s on Wednesday 12 August 2026.
Coverage trend (last 30 days)
How much coverage this topic got from each channel over the past month.
On screen
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What was reported
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On 13 August 2026, a solar eclipse was visible across parts of Europe. In the UK, a partial eclipse occurred, with the moon covering up to 96% of the sun in Cornwall, according to both BBC News and Sky News. A total eclipse was observed in several locations, including Iceland, Spain, and the Arctic Circle. The eclipse path began in Russia and ended in northern Spain, as reported by BBC News. Sky News reported that the total eclipse lasted about 90 seconds in Mallorca, and that an estimated 500,000 people travelled to Spain to view it. Sky News also noted that the UK had not experienced a similar partial eclipse for 27 years, and the next one is expected in 2081. Both channels reported that the eclipse caused darkness and a drop in temperature in affected areas. Cloudy weather affected viewing in Iceland, according to both channels.
Key Claims by Channel
Tuesday 11 August 2026
| Claim | Channel 5 | BBC News | BBC One | BBC Two | Channel 4 | GB News | ITV | Sky News |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A partial solar eclipse will be visible across the UK, with up to 96% of the sun covered, peaking around 7:10-7:15pm, and causing a temperature drop of about 5°C. | · | |||||||
| The eclipse will occur on August 12th. | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | |
| The UK will not see a comparable eclipse until 2081. | · | · | · | · | ||||
| Cornwall and Pembrokeshire are the best places to see the eclipse. | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | |
| Total eclipse visible only in Iceland and parts of Spain. | · | · | · | |||||
| The eclipse will begin in the UK shortly after 6pm. | · | · | ||||||
| In Northern Spain, the total eclipse peaks between 20:26 and 20:33 local time. | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | |
| BBC News will have special coverage of the solar eclipse starting at 5 p.m. British summertime on Wednesday. | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | |
| The next total eclipse in Iceland will not occur for another 170 years. | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | |
| The Perseid meteor shower peak will occur after the eclipse. | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | |
| ITV will have full coverage of the eclipse on ITVX and the ITV News YouTube channel from 6.40. | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | |
| Spain and Portugal were expected to have good viewing conditions, though wildfire smoke could affect northern Spain. | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | |
| Partial eclipses are more dangerous to view than total ones because enough light remains to cause eye damage. | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | |
| Certified eclipse glasses must meet the ISO 12312 standard to be safe for direct viewing. | · | · | · | |||||
| A man from Somerset suffered retina burns from looking at the 1999 eclipse through a welder's mask. | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | |
| Broadcasters warned that looking directly at the sun can cause instant blindness. | · | · | · | · | · | · | ||
| Broadcasters recommended a pinhole projector as the safest way to view the eclipse without certified glasses. | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | |
| Dr Ryan French is in Spain to view the eclipse. | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | |
| Brian May is in eastern Spain to view the eclipse. | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | |
| The eclipse will be the biggest event of its kind for nearly 30 years. | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | |
| Burgos is one of the best places to see the eclipse. | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | |
| Southern Spain and Mallorca are the best places to see the total eclipse. | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | |
| Exmoor is one of the best places in the UK for astronomy. | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | |
| Eclipse glasses have sold out in many places, including across the UK and Majorca. | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | |
| The total eclipse in northern Spain was reported to last about one minute 40 seconds. | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | |
| The total eclipse begins over northern Siberia at sunrise. | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | |
| In 2081, the southwest will see 99% of the sun covered during an eclipse. | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | |
| The next total eclipse in the UK is not expected until 2090. | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
Wednesday 12 August 2026
| Claim | Channel 5 | BBC News | BBC NEWS Signed | BBC One | BBC Two | Channel 4 | GB News | ITV | Sky News |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A partial solar eclipse will be visible across the UK, with up to 96% of the sun covered, peaking around 7:10-7:15pm, and causing a temperature drop of about 5°C. | |||||||||
| The eclipse will last about two hours. | · | · | · | · | · | · | |||
| The UK will not see a comparable eclipse until 2081. | · | · | · | · | · | ||||
| Cornwall and Pembrokeshire are the best places to see the eclipse. | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ||
| Total eclipse visible only in Iceland and parts of Spain. | · | · | |||||||
| The next total eclipse in Iceland will not occur for another 170 years. | · | · | · | · | · | · | |||
| Spain and Portugal were expected to have good viewing conditions, though wildfire smoke could affect northern Spain. | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | |
| Certified eclipse glasses must meet the ISO 12312 standard to be safe for direct viewing. | · | · | · | · | · | ||||
| A man from Somerset suffered retina burns from looking at the 1999 eclipse through a welder's mask. | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | |
| Broadcasters warned that looking directly at the sun can cause instant blindness. | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ||
| Broadcasters recommended a pinhole projector as the safest way to view the eclipse without certified glasses. | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | |
| The eclipse will be the biggest event of its kind for nearly 30 years. | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ||
| Eclipse glasses have sold out in many places, including across the UK and Majorca. | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ||
| The total eclipse in northern Spain was reported to last about one minute 40 seconds. | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | |
| The eclipse's path of totality runs from northern Siberia across the Arctic Ocean, Greenland, Iceland, and northern Spain to near the Balearic Islands. | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ||
| Parts of Ireland will see up to 97% coverage, slightly better than Cornwall. | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | |
| Spanish authorities removed fraudulent eclipse glasses from the market. | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | |
| Around half a million extra tourists came to Spain for the eclipse. | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | |
| The moon is about 400 times smaller than the sun and about 400 times farther away, creating a near-perfect alignment during an eclipse. | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | |
| The corona is visible only during totality. | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | |
| Iceland expects 75,000 visitors for the eclipse. | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | |
| In 2081, the southwest will see 99% of the sun covered during an eclipse. | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | |
| The UK was expected to see just over 90% moon coverage of the sun during the eclipse. | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
Thursday 13 August 2026
| Claim | Channel 5 | BBC News | BBC NEWS Signed | BBC One | BBC Two | Channel 4 | GB News | ITV | Sky News |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The UK will not see a comparable eclipse until 2081. | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ||
| Cornwall and Pembrokeshire are the best places to see the eclipse. | · | · | · | · | · | · | |||
| Total eclipse visible only in Iceland and parts of Spain. | · | · | · | · | · | ||||
| The eclipse will begin in the UK shortly after 6pm. | · | · | · | ||||||
| Broadcasters warned that looking directly at the sun can cause instant blindness. | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | |
| Broadcasters recommended a pinhole projector as the safest way to view the eclipse without certified glasses. | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | |
| The eclipse will be the biggest event of its kind for nearly 30 years. | · | · | · | · | · | ||||
| Broadcasters reported that between 88% and 97% of the sun would be obscured in the UK during the partial eclipse. | · | · | |||||||
| Broadcasters reported that the total eclipse in Iceland would last about one minute. | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | |
| Broadcasters reported that the last total eclipse in Iceland was in 1954. | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | |
| The eclipse path started in Russia and ended in northern Spain. | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | |
| The total eclipse in Mallorca lasted approximately 90 seconds. | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | |
| An estimated 500,000 people travelled to Spain to view the eclipse. | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | |
| The eclipse caused darkness and a drop in temperature in affected areas. | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ||
| Cloudy weather affected viewing in Iceland. | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ||
| The Arctic Circle experienced totality first. | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
This is a cross-channel consensus summary, not an objective account. Consensus can be uniformly wrong, or omit what only one channel covered.
Timeline
Where this topic appeared. Cells show coverage time and are darker when there was more coverage.
| Date | Channel 5 | BBC News | BBC One | BBC Two | Channel 4 | GB News | ITV | Sky News |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday 13 August 2026 | 3m 8s 10.4% | 10m 20.8% | — | — | — | — | 5m 2s 22.0% | 6m 34s 26.9% |
| Wednesday 12 August 2026 | 12m 23s 31.4% | 26m 6s 24.8% | 42m 44s 49.1% | — | 25m 45s 52.0% | 1h 36s 66.6% | 52m 50s 63.5% | 5m 13.0% |
| Tuesday 11 August 2026 | — | 5m 23s 12.0% | 11m 19s 12.6% | 9m 35s 35.6% | — | 9m 10s 13.6% | 29m 35s 26.4% | 5m 28s 11.7% |
| Monday 10 August 2026 | 4m 41s 12.6% | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sunday 9 August 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2m 29s 3.4% |
| Thursday 6 August 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2m 37s 6.6% |