Eclipse 12 Aug 2026 · 20:34
Albacete
38.994°, -1.856° · 695 m a.s.l.
99% of the Sun covered at maximum
Visible · score 50/100 Sun at +5° · 285° WNW
The Sun clears local terrain by 5.27° at peak.
Partial eclipse · 99% obscuration
ALBACETE · 38.994° N -1.856° W
Photo: Fernando · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
In Albacete, the Moon covered 99% of the Sun.
At 20:34 local time, the Moon took a bite out of the Sun over Albacete, covering up to 99% of its disc. It didn't become a total or annular eclipse: the Sun kept shining throughout.
The other two eclipses from here
Eclipse 2 Aug 2027
Score 50/ 100
Eclipse visible
The Sun will be 37-41° high, so terrain rules out no city at all: of the 560 assessed, 522 tie on the same score. What decides is being inside the path.
Eclipse 26 Jan 2028
Score 72/ 100
Full ring visible
See the eclipse from Albacete minute by minute
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About Albacete
Albacete is the capital of its namesake province in Castilla-La Mancha, situated on the southeastern plateau of the Iberian Peninsula at 695 meters elevation. With nearly 173,000 inhabitants, it serves as the most important economic and service hub in the eastern Manchego region. Located on a plain surrounded by wide horizons, the city enjoys a continental climate with hot, dry summers, which favors outdoor astronomical observations during the summer months.
For this eclipse
On August 12, 2026, Albacete will lie outside the path of totality, so the eclipse will be experienced as partial. Maximum eclipse occurs at 20:33 h, with the Moon covering just over half of the Sun's disk. The Sun will be barely 5.3° above the geometric horizon, though the margin above the actual topographic horizon is 5.4°, sufficient for the phenomenon to be visible from clear areas. It is recommended to choose an elevated location with a clear western horizon.
The weather in August
August in Albacete is warm and dry according to AEMET records from the 1991–2020 period. The average monthly temperature is around 25.9 °C, with highs typically reaching 33.7 °C and lows of 18.2 °C. The average monthly precipitation is 13.4 mm, concentrated mainly in isolated thunderstorm episodes: the risk of thunderstorms in August is considered moderate. Summer afternoons can bring cumulonimbus clouds with scattered thunderstorms, so it is advisable to follow the forecast in the days leading up to the eclipse.
Past eclipses
The last total eclipse visible from Albacete occurred on May 28, 1900, 126 years ago, with totality lasting barely one minute. More recent is the annular eclipse of October 3, 2005, which darkened 90.4% of the Sun with an annular phase lasting nearly three minutes. After the eclipses of 2026 and 2028, the next annular eclipse visible from the city will not occur until July 13, 2075.
Direction and altitude of the Sun
At the moment of maximum eclipse, at 20:33 h, the Sun will be positioned in the west-northwest of the sky, with an azimuth of 285°. Its height above the horizon will be just 5.3°, equivalent roughly to the width of a hand at arm's length measured from the horizon line. Orienting toward the northwest and seeking a panorama free of obstacles—buildings, trees, or hills—will be crucial for following the phenomenon in its final moments.
Editorial text by eclipses.app · Data: Wikidata, AEMET, NASA and JPL planetary ephemerides.
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The eclipse from Albacete
In Albacete, the eclipse reached its maximum at 20:34 local time, with 99% of the Sun covered by the Moon.
In Albacete, the Sun was 5° above the horizon, toward the WNW. With that much margin above the horizon, any spot with open sky worked.
This area typically sees around 11% median cloud cover at that hour, based on ten years of historical data — not a forecast for this specific eclipse.
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Don't miss it
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Eclipse schedule in Albacete
Local time · Europe/Madrid| Phase | Local time | UTC | Progress | Sun alt. | Sun az. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C1 — Partial begins | 19:39:16 | 17:39:16 UTC | +15.7° | 276.6° | |
| Maximum | 20:34:09 | 18:34:09 UTC | +5.3° | 284.9° | |
| The Sun sets behind the terrain(terrain event, not an eclipse phase) | 21:05 | 19:05 UTC | -0.0° | 289.7° | |
| C4 — Partial endsnot visible | 21:25:38 | 19:25:38 UTC | -3.7° | 293.0° |
Phases marked with ⛰️ were not seen: the Sun was already hidden behind the real terrain at that moment.
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Eclipse phases
Times in CEST local time
Oriented as seen with the naked eye, zenith up (official ephemerides usually draw it with celestial north up, rotated with respect to this).
Phases shown in red aren't observable: they happen while the Sun is below the horizon.
Location
- Latitude
- 38.9942° N
- Longitude
- 1.8564° W
- Elevation
- 695 m
Eclipse phases
- Eclipse begins
- 19:39:16
- Maximum
- 20:34:09
- Eclipse ends
- 21:25:38
- Sunset (flat horizon)
- 21:06:05
Duration
- Eclipse
- 1h 46m 22s
Values at maximum
- Obscuration
- 99%
- Sun altitude
- +5.3°
- Sun azimuth
- 284.9°
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Sun direction and altitude at maximum
It was toward WNW (284.9°)
284.9° WNW
Azimuth at maximum
5.29°
Sun altitude at maximum
0.02°
Terrain horizon
+5.27°
Sun−terrain margin
What the contact points (C1-C4) mean
A solar eclipse is described by four key moments, the contact points between the discs of the Sun and the Moon:
- C1First contact: the Moon touches the edge of the Sun and the partial eclipse begins.
- C2Second contact: the Moon fully covers the Sun and totality begins.
- C3Third contact: the Sun reappears and totality ends.
- C4Fourth contact: the Moon leaves the Sun's disc and the eclipse ends.
Where the eclipse is only partial, the Moon never fully covers the Sun: only C1 and C4 occur, with no totality in between.
Peaks near Albacete
| Peak | Elevation | Distance | Azimuth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morra Encantada | 713 m | 20.0 km | 343° NNW |
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The August sky
Avg. temp.
25.9°C
Max / min
33.7° / 18.2°
Precipitation
13.4 mm
Storm risk
Medium
Station ALBACETE, 1 km away · Period 1991-2020 · Source: AEMET
11%Historical average cloud cover
P25 — clearer days · 0%Median cloud cover · 11%P75 — cloudier days · 47%
10-year average over 70 samples: the 3 days before and after 12 August, at the same eclipse hour · Source: ERA5 (ECMWF)
Cloud forecast
Full cloud-cover forecast for eclipse day, including the hour-by-hour outlook toward the sun. Available with PRO.
See plansOther eclipses seen from Albacete
- Last total eclipseMay 28, 1900126 years ago
- Last annular eclipseOctober 3, 200521 years ago
- Next annular eclipseJuly 13, 2075
Solar eclipses computed from astronomical ephemerides for the city's coordinates.
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Frequently asked questions about the eclipse in Albacete
Was the eclipse of August 12, 2026 visible from Albacete?
Yes, partial eclipse: the Sun was 99% covered at maximum from Albacete.
What time was the eclipse maximum in Albacete?
Maximum occurred at 20:34 local time (18:34 UTC) in Albacete.
Which direction was the Sun in during the eclipse from Albacete?
The Sun was toward the WNW (azimuth 285°), 5° above the horizon at maximum from Albacete.
Was Albacete a good place to watch the eclipse?
Albacete was a good option (score 50/100): all eclipse phases were visible, though not the regional optimum.
Do I need special glasses to watch the eclipse?
Yes, you need ISO 12312-2 certified eclipse glasses during every partial phase. Regular sunglasses do NOT protect. Glasses can only be removed during the totality phase (when the Sun is fully covered); never during annular or partial eclipses. Pages flagged "visible" assume a clear horizon, not a viewing recommendation.
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