Updated

Updated · Forbes · Jul 10

North America Gets 61% Partial Eclipse on Aug. 12 as Perseids Peak at 50 Meteors an Hour

Updated

Updated · Forbes · Jul 10

North America Gets 61% Partial Eclipse on Aug. 12 as Perseids Peak at 50 Meteors an Hour

Q: Where is the ultimate North American location to witness both the solar eclipse and the peak of the Perseid meteors?

The best all-around North American choice is **a dark-sky site in Newfoundland and Labrador, especially Gros Morne National Park**. That recommendation balances both parts of the August 12, 2026 double event better than most alternatives. Newfoundland and Labrador gets one of the deepest partial eclipse views in accessible North America, with **St. John’s seeing about 53% of the sun covered**. At the same time, **Gros Morne National Park** offers the kind of dark, low-light environment needed for the **Perseid peak overnight**, when moonless skies could produce especially strong meteor rates. If the goal is the **deepest partial eclipse alone**, **Iqaluit, Nunavut**, is stronger at about **61% coverage**. But for most travelers, Gros Morne is the more practical “ultimate” pairing because it combines a major eclipse view with a recognized dark-sky setting for the Perseids in one region. For U.S. observers, the strongest comparable option is **Acadia National Park in Maine**. Maine gets the deepest eclipse in the contiguous United States, with **Presque Isle at about 28% coverage**, and Acadia is also a prime dark-sky Perseid destination. Still, it does not match Atlantic Canada for eclipse depth. So, for seeing **both** events from one North American trip, **Gros Morne National Park and the broader Newfoundland and Labrador region stand out as the top pick**.

2 articles · Updated · Forbes · Jul 10

Aug. 12 will bring North America a rare skywatching double-header: a partial solar eclipse by day and the Perseid meteor shower’s annual peak after midnight.
61% coverage is forecast in Iqaluit, while the deepest views in the contiguous U.S. reach 28% in Presque Isle, Maine; New York City is set to see about 10%.
No part of North America will enter totality because only the moon’s penumbral shadow reaches the continent, so daylight will not noticeably dim and certified eclipse glasses remain mandatory throughout.
50 meteors an hour may be visible overnight Aug. 12-13 under a moonless sky, with the best viewing expected after midnight from dark-sky sites in the Northeast and Atlantic Canada.
The total eclipse itself will track across a 180-mile-wide corridor in eastern Greenland, western Iceland and northern Spain, where totality can last up to 2 minutes 18 seconds.