Total Solar Eclipse Causes Internet Traffic Dips in Europe

Eclipse Event and Geographic Impact

On Wednesday, August 12, 2025, a total solar eclipse traversed the North Atlantic and parts of Europe, specifically Iceland, northern Spain, and Portugal. Other Western European countries experienced a deep partial eclipse. This event marked the first total solar eclipse to cross mainland Europe in two decades, drawing millions of observers outdoors.

Internet Traffic Observations

Cloudflare Radar data analyzed HTTP request volumes in five-minute intervals across affected countries on the day of the eclipse. The analysis compared these volumes to a normal-day baseline, revealing significant dips in internet traffic that correlated directly with the timing of maximum solar obscuration in each region.

Correlation Between Obscuration and Traffic

The data indicated that as the eclipse deepened, internet traffic decreased, with the most significant drops occurring along the path of totality and in countries experiencing a deep partial eclipse, such as Iceland, Ireland, the UK, France, Spain, and Portugal. Conversely, areas with minimal solar obscuration, like Sweden, Denmark, Poland, and Switzerland, showed little to no change in traffic. Traffic typically rebounded within minutes after the peak of the eclipse as people returned to their devices.

Implications for Online Behavior

The precise alignment of traffic dips with the eclipse's maximum obscuration suggests a direct impact of such large-scale events on online activity. This pattern was also observed during the 2026 World Cup and the 2024 total eclipse, indicating a consistent behavioral response where communal attention shifts away from digital devices during significant public events.