Eclipse 12 Aug 2026 · 20:39
Alhaurín el Grande
36.643°, -4.687° · 249 m a.s.l.
94% of the Sun covered at maximum
Visible · score 50/100 Sun at +6° · 284° WNW
The Sun clears local terrain by 3.19° at peak.
Partial eclipse · 94% obscuration
ALHAURÍN EL GRANDE · 36.643° N -4.687° W
Photo: vreimunde · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
In Alhaurín el Grande, the Moon covered 94% of the Sun.
At 20:39 local time, the Moon took a bite out of the Sun over Alhaurín el Grande, covering up to 94% 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 100/ 100
Full totality 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 63/ 100
Full ring visible
See the eclipse from Alhaurín el Grande minute by minute
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About Alhaurín el Grande
Alhaurín el Grande is a municipality in the province of Málaga with over 23,000 inhabitants, nestled in the foothills of the Sierra de Mijas at 249 meters above sea level. It is part of the Guadalhorce region in Mediterranean Andalusia and occupies a territory with marked relief where olive and almond groves coexist with a varied mountain landscape. Its position in the interior of Málaga, just kilometers from the coast, gives it a Mediterranean microclimate with warm, dry summers.
For this eclipse
On August 12, 2026, Alhaurín el Grande will experience a partial solar eclipse. Maximum will occur at 20:38 local time, when the Sun will have descended to just 6° above the horizon. Despite the low solar altitude, the calculated margin above the topographic horizon is 4.3°, so the solar disk should be visible as long as the western horizon is not obstructed by buildings or mountains. It is recommended to seek an elevated point with clear visibility in that direction.
The weather in August
August in Alhaurín el Grande is the warmest and driest month of the year. According to records from the AEMET station for the period 1991–2020, the average temperature is around 27.7 °C, with highs typically reaching 33.8 °C and night lows rarely dropping below 21.5 °C. Average August precipitation is virtually zero—barely 1 mm—and the risk of thunderstorms is low, creating a favorable scenario for observing the eclipse under clear skies.
Past eclipses
The last total solar eclipse visible from Alhaurín el Grande occurred on December 22, 1870, 156 years ago, lasting just over two minutes of totality. After the eclipses of 2026, 2027, and 2028, the next annular eclipse will arrive on July 13, 2075; we will have to wait until June 20, 2327 for another total eclipse, making the coming decades a truly generational astronomical window.
Direction and altitude of the Sun
At the moment of maximum, at 20:38, the Sun will be at an azimuth of 284°, in the west-northwest direction, slightly offset toward the north from the exact sunset point. The altitude of 6° above the geometric horizon is low—roughly equivalent to the width of three fingers held at arm's length—so observation will require a clear western horizon. A location on elevated terrain with a view in that direction will allow the Sun to be seen without obstruction during the phenomenon.
Editorial text by eclipses.app · Data: Wikidata, AEMET, NASA and JPL planetary ephemerides.
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The eclipse from Alhaurín el Grande
In Alhaurín el Grande, the eclipse reached its maximum at 20:39 local time, with 94% of the Sun covered by the Moon.
In Alhaurín el Grande, the Sun was 6° above the horizon, toward the WNW. Even so, a clear horizon toward the WNW helped.
This area typically sees around 0% median cloud cover at that hour, based on ten years of historical data — not a forecast for this specific eclipse.
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Eclipse schedule in Alhaurín el Grande
Local time · Europe/Madrid| Phase | Local time | UTC | Progress | Sun alt. | Sun az. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C1 — Partial begins | 19:43:19 | 17:43:19 UTC | +16.8° | 276.2° | |
| Maximum | 20:38:31 | 18:38:31 UTC | +6.0° | 284.1° | |
| The Sun sets behind the terrain(terrain event, not an eclipse phase) | 20:57 | 18:57 UTC | +2.6° | 286.7° | |
| C4 — Partial endsnot visible | 21:30:08 | 19:30:08 UTC | -3.4° | 291.7° |
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
- 36.6430° N
- Longitude
- 4.6873° W
- Elevation
- 249 m
Eclipse phases
- Eclipse begins
- 19:43:19
- Maximum
- 20:38:31
- Eclipse ends
- 21:30:08
- Sunset (flat horizon)
- 21:13:19
Duration
- Eclipse
- 1h 46m 49s
Values at maximum
- Obscuration
- 94%
- Sun altitude
- +6.0°
- Sun azimuth
- 284.1°
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Sun direction and altitude at maximum
It was toward WNW (284.1°)
284.1° WNW
Azimuth at maximum
6.02°
Sun altitude at maximum
2.83°
Terrain horizon
+3.19°
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 Alhaurín el Grande
| Peak | Elevation | Distance | Azimuth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sierra Prieta | 1519 m | 22.2 km | 309° NW |
| La Sierra | 1517 m | 22.2 km | 309° NW |
| Cerro de la BlanquillaIn the Sun's direction | 1506 m | 23.5 km | 306° NW |
| Pico del Grajo, Alcaparaín o Valdivia | 1293 m | 24.7 km | 325° NW |
| Cerro del Lastonar | 1276 m | 22.7 km | 246° WSW |
| Picacho de Castillejos | 1231 m | 19.2 km | 254° WSW |
| La Concha | 1215 m | 23.5 km | 244° WSW |
| La Concha | 1215 m | 23.6 km | 244° WSW |
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The August sky
Avg. temp.
27.7°C
Max / min
33.8° / 21.5°
Precipitation
1 mm
Storm risk
Low
Station COÍN, 7 km away · Period 1991-2020 · Source: AEMET
0%Historical average cloud cover
P25 — clearer days · 0%Median cloud cover · 0%P75 — cloudier days · 5%
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 Alhaurín el Grande
- Last total eclipseDecember 22, 1870156 years ago
- Next total eclipseJune 20, 2327
- 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 Alhaurín el Grande
Was the eclipse of August 12, 2026 visible from Alhaurín el Grande?
Yes, partial eclipse: the Sun was 94% covered at maximum from Alhaurín el Grande.
What time was the eclipse maximum in Alhaurín el Grande?
Maximum occurred at 20:38 local time (18:38 UTC) in Alhaurín el Grande.
Which direction was the Sun in during the eclipse from Alhaurín el Grande?
The Sun was toward the WNW (azimuth 284°), 6° above the horizon at maximum from Alhaurín el Grande.
Was Alhaurín el Grande a good place to watch the eclipse?
Alhaurín el Grande 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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