Eclipse 12 Aug 2026 · 20:35
Alicante
38.345°, -0.481° · 18 m a.s.l.
99% of the Sun covered at maximum
Visible · score 47/100 Sun at +4° · 286° WNW
The Sun clears local terrain by 2.04° at peak.
Partial eclipse · 99% obscuration
ALICANTE · 38.345° N -0.481° W
Photo: Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
In Alicante, the Moon covered 99% of the Sun.
At 20:35 local time, the Moon took a bite out of the Sun over Alicante, 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 62/ 100
Full ring visible
See the eclipse from Alicante minute by minute
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About Alicante
Alicante is the capital of the province of the same name, in the Comunidad Valenciana, with close to 349,000 inhabitants. It faces the Mediterranean Sea at the foot of Mount Benacantil, crowned by the Castillo de Santa Bárbara. Its dry climate and open seafront make it one of the sunniest cities on the Peninsula's coastline.
For this eclipse
On 12 August 2026, Alicante will observe a partial solar eclipse. The city lies outside the path of totality, which sits further north. The eclipse coincides with the Sun low over the horizon; the calculated margin relative to the terrain is tight, so the observation point should be chosen with care.
The weather in August
In August, Alicante records an average temperature of 26.5 °C, with highs around 31 °C. AEMET data for 1991-2020 indicate a 77% probability of clear sky and more than 319 hours of sunshine in the month. Average rainfall is 13.4 mm and the thunderstorm risk is moderate.
Past eclipses
The last total solar eclipse visible from Alicante was on 28 May 1900, 126 years ago. The last annular one was seen on 3 October 2005. After the eclipses of 2026 to 2028, no further totality over the city is expected within the computed horizon; the next annular eclipse will arrive on 13 July 2075.
Direction and altitude of the Sun
During the maximum of the eclipse, the Sun will be towards the west-northwest, at about 286° of azimuth, and around 4° above the horizon. At such a low altitude, the inland relief towards the west can get in the way. An elevated spot, such as the area around the Castillo de Santa Bárbara, offers a clearer view.
Editorial text by eclipses.app · Data: Wikidata, AEMET, NASA and JPL planetary ephemerides.
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The eclipse from Alicante
In Alicante, the eclipse reached its maximum at 20:35 local time, with 99% of the Sun covered by the Moon.
In Alicante, the Sun was 4° above the horizon, toward the WNW. Even so, a clear horizon toward the WNW helped.
This area typically sees around 10% 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 Alicante
Local time · Europe/Madrid| Phase | Local time | UTC | Progress | Sun alt. | Sun az. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C1 — Partial begins | 19:40:20 | 17:40:20 UTC | +14.3° | 277.8° | |
| Maximum | 20:34:45 | 18:34:45 UTC | +4.0° | 285.9° | |
| The Sun sets behind the terrain(terrain event, not an eclipse phase) | 20:46 | 18:46 UTC | +2.0° | 287.6° | |
| C4 — Partial endsnot visible | 21:25:49 | 19:25:49 UTC | -5.0° | 293.9° |
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
- 38.3452° N
- Longitude
- 0.4815° W
- Elevation
- 18 m
Eclipse phases
- Eclipse begins
- 19:40:20
- Maximum
- 20:34:45
- Eclipse ends
- 21:25:49
- Sunset (flat horizon)
- 20:59:36
Duration
- Eclipse
- 1h 45m 29s
Values at maximum
- Obscuration
- 99%
- Sun altitude
- +4.0°
- Sun azimuth
- 285.9°
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Sun direction and altitude at maximum
It was toward WNW (285.9°)
285.9° WNW
Azimuth at maximum
4.01°
Sun altitude at maximum
1.97°
Terrain horizon
+2.04°
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 Alicante
| Peak | Elevation | Distance | Azimuth |
|---|---|---|---|
| el Maigmó | 1296 m | 21.8 km | 323° NW |
| Alt de Guisop | 1249 m | 23.9 km | 321° NW |
| Penya Migjorn | 1226 m | 21.7 km | 346° NNW |
| Cabeçó d'Or | 1210 m | 21.6 km | 20° NNE |
| Maigmonet | 1182 m | 22.3 km | 323° NW |
| Penya de l'Home | 1138 m | 22.8 km | 18° NNE |
| Alt de la Xumenera | 1132.82 m | 23.6 km | 320° NW |
| CidIn the Sun's direction | 1104 m | 24.0 km | 300° WNW |
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The August sky
Avg. temp.
26.5°C
Max / min
31.1° / 21.8°
Precipitation
13.4 mm
Storm risk
Medium
Station ALACANT/ALICANTE, 3 km away · Period 1991-2020 · Source: AEMET
10%Historical average cloud cover
P25 — clearer days · 1%Median cloud cover · 10%P75 — cloudier days · 34%
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 Alicante
- 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 Alicante
Was the eclipse of August 12, 2026 visible from Alicante?
Yes, partial eclipse: the Sun was 99% covered at maximum from Alicante.
What time was the eclipse maximum in Alicante?
Maximum occurred at 20:34 local time (18:34 UTC) in Alicante.
Which direction was the Sun in during the eclipse from Alicante?
The Sun was toward the WNW (azimuth 286°), 4° above the horizon at maximum from Alicante.
Was Alicante a good place to watch the eclipse?
Alicante could see the eclipse with limitations (score 47/100): terrain, geometry, or climatology added risk. A higher-scored viewpoint would have been preferable.
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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