Synthetic white light coronal simulation

This image shows a prediction of how the Sun's outer atmosphere, the corona, could appear in white light during the total solar eclipse of 12 August 2026. The black disk at the centre represents the Moon, which will block the Sun's bright surface during the eclipse and reveal the much fainter corona.

The bright structures extending outwards are coronal streamers, shaped by the Sun's magnetic field and stretching far into space. Darker regions mark areas where material can more easily escape the Sun as the solar wind.

The image was generated using KU Leuven's COCONUT coronal model, based on real observations of the Sun's magnetic field. This software is one of multiple solar coronal models integrated within ESA's Virtual Space Weather Modelling Centre (VSWMC). To better reflect how the corona appears in eclipse photographs, the image has been processed to show both the bright inner corona and the fainter outer structures. Comparing predictions like this with actual eclipse observations helps scientists test and improve their models of the solar corona.