For the 2026 solar eclipse in Paris, I had the perfect perch behind the flower box looking out my bedroom window. August 12, 2026 had been on my calendar for the past year. Where would I be to watch the eclipse? In the planning stages, I had no idea the perfect spot would be in my Bastille neighborhood. As the day approached, I saw a small poster by the cash register at Monoprix Saint-Paul to buy the protective solar glasses. Buying two for €1,50 a piece, I had no idea that by the following week, two days before eclipse event, the supply would be dried up at Monoprix and all the pharmacies I visited!
The Eclipse Was the Talk of the Media
The hype was building in Paris. On the television, specials abounded the night before. For the best viewing spots, the City of Paris suggested a bridge, a château, an iconic garden, rooftops. The newspaper, Le Parisien, had ideas for viewing areas surrounding Paris as well as central Paris. Before these stories appeared, I went to Montmartre and thought the restaurant at Le Terrasse” Hotel would be a good idea. At that moment I was overlooking the Montmartre cemetery. My husband sent me a text, “I can still see the sun out our back window”. That wrapped up the location search. My apartment was on the perfect angle to view the eclipse.
Let the Eclipse Show Begin
In Paris the show began around 7:20 pm, was at its fullest around 8:20 pm and finished around 9:10 pm. For my bedroom viewing, I used a 100 mm lens on my camera. In case the sensor burned out using my good camera, my back-up camera worked fine. Holding the solar glasses to the lens was tricky. Sometimes it was steady for a sharp focus and other times, less precise. Fear of burning my retina kept me behind the camera to watch the show.
My last view of the eclipse was with antennas in the foreground at 8:27 pm. Rooftops came into view with the rays from the setting sun at 8:28 pm. The show was over.
What are the glasses called?
In France the protective eyewear are called “lunettes de protection”. In English, they are called “solar viewers and are also known as solar viewing glasses or solar eclipse glasses”. No matter where they are made, all protective eyewear must currently have the code ISO 12312-2. In Europe they should also have the CE letters. They should not be used for a future viewing. And the ISO code may change in five years.
The last time a full eclipse took place in Paris was 1999. The story that ran in Le Parisien in 2026 about that experience had a photo of everyone wearing the solar glasses. Not one person was lifting a phone for the occasion.
For the 2026 eclipse, Teruel, a city in eastern Spain in the province of Aragon, was the best European city to observe the total eclipse.
Made in France Souvenir or Made Somewhere Else
One version on the market is made in France. In 1998, Jean Ichter created an Alsatian company called Sodap Sobomex in Eckbolsheim (Bas-Rhin) to manufacture the protective glasses for observing eclipses. The company sells their glasses to professionals for between €0.80 and €1.50—before they are retailed at €4 to €5. When you look around for the next eclipse try pharmacies and shop early. My solar glasses had an interesting journey to Monoprix. They were made in China, sent to Madrid, Spain and then distributed by BBR Pharma in Paris.
The next total eclipse in France is in 2081. My ashes will have been scattered in a forest by then. For the next eclipse (partial) in Paris, August 2, 2027, get your solar eclipse glasses early!