"Diamond Ring" Limited Run of 40

Diamond Ring During the 2026 Total Solar Eclipse in Spain For a few seconds during a total solar eclipse, the sun can look like a diamond ring hanging in the sky. This was my view of that moment during the 2026 total solar eclipse in Spain. The bright point of light is the final sliver of the sun disappearing behind the moon, while the sun's corona begins to emerge around the dark lunar disc. It's known as the diamond ring effect, one of the most dramatic and fleeting moments of a total solar eclipse. And I wasn't sure I'd get to photograph it at all. Photographing the Diamond Ring in Spain I'd spent eclipse day watching the weather deteriorate along Spain's northern coast. My photography group had originally planned to photograph the eclipse near Cudillero, where forecasts had been promising clear skies right up until that morning. Instead, low clouds formed over the Bay of Biscay and refused to disappear. By early afternoon, I made the call to move. We drove south looking for clearer skies, passing one backup location after another as clouds continued to build. Eventually, with the eclipse approaching, I found an open area near the hilltop village of Valbueno. It wasn't perfect. But it was probably our best chance. We quickly set up our cameras and tripods and waited for first contact. A Cloud Was Heading Straight for Totality As the partial eclipse progressed, I noticed one particular cloud drifting toward the sun. Thirty minutes before totality, it looked concerning. Ten minutes before totality, it looked like it might ruin everything. There wasn't enough time to move again. All we could do was prepare our cameras and hope. Five minutes before second contact, I had everyone take their final partial-eclipse photographs and switch to their settings for totality. We positioned the sun in our frames so we wouldn't need to touch our tripods during the most important moments of the eclipse. Then something remarkable happened. Just before totality, the sun emerged into a U-shaped opening at the top of the cloud. It was almost perfectly positioned. The Diamond Ring Appears As the moon covered the final portion of the sun, I started shooting. The first images showed a large, brilliant point of sunlight. With each successive photograph, that light became smaller as the moon moved farther across the solar disc. For a few moments, the sun looked exactly like its namesake. A brilliant gemstone attached to a delicate ring of white light. Then the last direct sunlight disappeared. Totality. The corona surrounded the moon, and the landscape around us fell into the strange darkness that only a total solar eclipse can create. For roughly two minutes, we photographed the corona at different exposures before preparing for the process to happen all over again. A second diamond ring appeared as the sun began to emerge from behind the moon. And then the clouds finally won. About 30 seconds later, the sun disappeared completely behind them. Had those clouds arrived just two minutes earlier, I wouldn't have this photograph. What Causes the Diamond Ring Effect During a Solar Eclipse? The diamond ring occurs immediately before and after totality. As the moon covers almost the entire solar disc, a tiny portion of direct sunlight can remain visible while the much fainter solar corona becomes visible around the moon. Together, the bright point of sunlight and corona resemble a glowing diamond set into a ring. Immediately around this phase, sunlight can also shine through valleys along the edge of the moon, creating individual points of light known as Baily's Beads. Both phenomena last only briefly, which makes photographing them one of my favorite parts of a total solar eclipse. In this case, the clouds added another element I couldn't have planned. I'd take perfectly clear skies for an eclipse any day. But the thin layers of atmosphere surrounding this diamond ring give the photograph a sense of place and uncertainty that a cloudless photograph wouldn't have. It's also a reminder of what I love about photographing rare natural phenomena. You can research, scout, practice and plan for every possibility. Eventually, nature gets the final say. Come on my 2027 total solar eclipse guided tour in Spain