Eclipse 12 Aug 2026 · 19:52
Arrecife
28.963°, -13.548° · 20 m a.s.l.
73% of the Sun covered at maximum
Visible · score 50/100 Sun at +9° · 282° WNW
The Sun clears local terrain by 5.53° at peak.
Partial eclipse · 73% obscuration
ARRECIFE · 28.963° N -13.548° W
Photo: Holger Uwe Schmitt · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
In Arrecife, the Moon covered 73% of the Sun.
At 19:52 local time, the Moon took a bite out of the Sun over Arrecife, covering up to 73% 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 50/ 100
Eclipse visible
See the eclipse from Arrecife minute by minute
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About Arrecife
Arrecife is the capital of the island of Lanzarote and of the province of Las Palmas, in the autonomous community of the Canary Islands. With just over 61,000 inhabitants and situated practically at sea level, at about 20 metres altitude, it occupies the eastern coastal strip of the island, facing the Atlantic Ocean. Its geographical position, close to the tropics and far from the European continent, gives it a dry, warm climate year-round.
For this eclipse
On 12 August 2026, Arrecife will experience a partial solar eclipse. Maximum occurs at 19:52 local time, with the Sun at 8.7° above the horizon—a comfortable margin for unobstructed viewing. The Sun will be in the west-northwest direction, at an azimuth of 282°, placing maximum phase at late afternoon with grazing light over the Atlantic.
The weather in August
August is one of the most stable months of the year in Arrecife. Average temperature is around 25.6 °C, with highs of 29.5 °C and lows no lower than 21.5 °C. Rainfall is virtually absent—barely 0.5 mm on average—and the month accumulates around 304 hours of sunlight. The probability of clear skies reaches 73%, with very low risk of storms. Data: AEMET (1991–2020).
Past eclipses
The last total eclipse visible from Arrecife occurred on 27 October 1780, 246 years ago, lasting 49 seconds of totality. Before that, on 1 April 1764, the city witnessed an annular eclipse lasting almost four minutes. After the eclipses of 2026, 2027 and 2028, the next total eclipse will not be visible until 11 May 2078, and the next annular not until 2136.
Direction and altitude of the Sun
At maximum eclipse, the Sun will be 8.7° high above the horizon and at an azimuth of 282°, oriented west-northwest. This means the gaze must be directed almost seaward, slightly north of due west. The low solar altitude is characteristic of late August afternoon in Lanzarote and requires an unobstructed horizon in that direction.
Editorial text by eclipses.app · Data: Wikidata, AEMET, NASA and JPL planetary ephemerides.
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The eclipse from Arrecife
In Arrecife, the eclipse reached its maximum at 19:52 local time, with 73% of the Sun covered by the Moon.
In Arrecife, the Sun was 9° above the horizon, toward the WNW. With that much margin above the horizon, any spot with open sky worked.
This area typically sees around 3% 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 Arrecife
Local time · Atlantic/Canary| Phase | Local time | UTC | Progress | Sun alt. | Sun az. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C1 — Partial begins | 18:56:52 | 17:56:52 UTC | +20.6° | 276.0° | |
| Maximum | 19:52:07 | 18:52:07 UTC | +8.7° | 282.2° | |
| The Sun sets behind the terrain(terrain event, not an eclipse phase) | 20:24 | 19:24 UTC | +2.0° | 286.0° | |
| C4 — Partial endsnot visible | 20:43:24 | 19:43:24 UTC | -1.6° | 288.2° |
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 WEST 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
- 28.9630° N
- Longitude
- 13.5477° W
- Elevation
- 20 m
Eclipse phases
- Eclipse begins
- 18:56:52
- Maximum
- 19:52:07
- Eclipse ends
- 20:43:24
- Sunset (flat horizon)
- 20:36:43
Duration
- Eclipse
- 1h 46m 32s
Values at maximum
- Obscuration
- 73%
- Sun altitude
- +8.7°
- Sun azimuth
- 282.2°
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Sun direction and altitude at maximum
It was toward WNW (282.2°)
282.2° WNW
Azimuth at maximum
8.71°
Sun altitude at maximum
3.18°
Terrain horizon
+5.53°
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 Arrecife
| Peak | Elevation | Distance | Azimuth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peñas del Chache | 674 m | 17.6 km | 9° N |
| Peñas del Chache | 673.55 m | 17.6 km | 9° N |
| El Castillejo | 625 m | 17.5 km | 6° N |
| Montaña Ganada | 597 m | 19.2 km | 7° N |
| Montaña BlancaIn the Sun's direction | 596 m | 9.2 km | 281° W |
| Peña de Juan Estévez | 577 m | 16.0 km | 9° N |
| Hacha Grande | 562.38 m | 24.3 km | 250° WSW |
| Hacha Grande | 562 m | 24.3 km | 250° WSW |
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The August sky
Avg. temp.
25.6°C
Max / min
29.5° / 21.5°
Precipitation
0.5 mm
Storm risk
Low
Station LANZAROTE AEROPUERTO, 5 km away · Period 1991-2020 · Source: AEMET
3%Historical average cloud cover
P25 — clearer days · 0%Median cloud cover · 3%P75 — cloudier days · 23%
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 Arrecife
- Last total eclipseOctober 27, 1780246 years ago
- Last annular eclipseApril 1, 1764262 years ago
- Next total eclipseMay 11, 2078
- Next annular eclipseApril 1, 2136
Solar eclipses computed from astronomical ephemerides for the city's coordinates.
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Frequently asked questions about the eclipse in Arrecife
Was the eclipse of August 12, 2026 visible from Arrecife?
Yes, partial eclipse: the Sun was 73% covered at maximum from Arrecife.
What time was the eclipse maximum in Arrecife?
Maximum occurred at 19:52 local time (18:52 UTC) in Arrecife.
Which direction was the Sun in during the eclipse from Arrecife?
The Sun was toward the WNW (azimuth 282°), 9° above the horizon at maximum from Arrecife.
Was Arrecife a good place to watch the eclipse?
Arrecife 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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