Internet Total Solar Eclipse: Traffic Impact in Iceland, Spain, and Portugal

Following the total solar eclipse that crossed Europe from the North Atlantic on August 12, changes in online behavior in the region were observed. Analysis of Cloudflare Radar data revealed a highly precise correlation between the degree of solar obscuration caused by the eclipse and the decrease in internet traffic.

HTTP request volume dropped sharply, almost perfectly coinciding with the moment the eclipse reached its maximum. Traffic decreases were most pronounced in Iceland, Ireland, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, and Portugal, which lay within the eclipse path. In contrast, countries such as Sweden, Denmark, and Poland, where the eclipse's impact was minimal, saw almost no change in traffic.

According to data analysis, traffic along the eclipse path decreased by approximately 15% to 30%. This was not mere coincidence; a clear trend emerged where the deeper the solar obscuration, the larger the drop in traffic.

This analysis compared traffic on the day of the eclipse to the median baseline of the preceding three Wednesdays. This demonstrated that the natural phenomenon of an eclipse physically restricts people's digital activities, causing them to look at the sky instead of their screens.