Datapods|Insights

Solar Eclipse 2026: Hourly Search Spike

Results as of

Review Aug 10–13, 2026: Eclipse-term searches hit 31.4% of all Google queries at 17:00 CET on Aug 12, 2026 peak hour

Solar Eclipse 2026: Hourly Search SpikeLine chart showing the hourly share of Google searches containing solar-eclipse terms among German online users, from August 10 to 13, 2026. The vertical axis shows the eclipse-term search share in percent; the horizontal axis shows the hour of day. A sharp peak of 31.4% appears at 17:00 CET on August 12, 2026.Line chart showing the hourly share of Google searches containing solar-eclipse terms among German online users, from August 10 to 13, 2026. The vertical axis shows the eclipse-term search share in percent; the horizontal axis shows the hour of day. A sharp peak of 31.4% appears at 17:00 CET on August 12, 2026.
Line chart showing the hourly share of Google searches containing solar-eclipse terms among German online users, from August 10 to 13, 2026. The vertical axis shows the eclipse-term search share in percent; the horizontal axis shows the hour of day. A sharp peak of 31.4% appears at 17:00 CET on August 12, 2026.
Info
Data date
Aug 10–13, 2026
Segment
All segments
Platform
Search
Market
Germany

Analysis

At 17:00 CET on August 12, 2026, nearly one in three Google searches in Germany contained a solar-eclipse term — a search-share concentration almost unheard of outside breaking news events. The spike arrived roughly two hours before the partial eclipse reached its visible maximum across German cities (around 20:05–20:18 CEST), suggesting millions of users were looking up viewing times, safety tips, and livestream links in advance.

Why the pre-eclipse hour dominated

The August 12 partial eclipse covered up to 90% of the sun over southern Germany — the deepest such coverage the country will see until 2081, according to astronomers. ZDF launched a dedicated livestream on its website and YouTube channel from 20:00 CEST, while 3sat began its broadcast at 20:15 CEST, driving a wave of search intent focused on "wo kann ich die Sonnenfinsternis sehen" and stream links. The 17:00 CET peak likely reflects the overlap of post-work audiences searching before heading outside. Across the full day, eclipse terms claimed an 8.0% share of all searches — see full-day comparison with March 2025 for how unusual that figure is.

This analysis is based on public segment data. For deeper cuts, use our Enterprise interface.

Methodology

Share of Google search queries containing solar-eclipse terms, measured hourly among German adult online users between August 10 and 13, 2026. The share is calculated as eclipse-term searches divided by total searches in the same hour, so shifts in overall search volume cancel out. The observation window covers the two days before, the eclipse day itself, and the day after.

These insights are based on the Datapods Panel. Our data comes exclusively from users who are compensated for their anonymity. Become part of the panel & earn from your data