Eclipse 12 Aug 2026 · 20:32
Ávila
40.657°, -4.700° · 1127 m a.s.l.
99.8% of the Sun covered at maximum
Visible · score 50/100 Sun at +8° · 283° WNW
The Sun clears local terrain by 6.96° at peak.
Partial eclipse · 99.8% obscuration
ÁVILA · 40.657° N -4.700° W
Photo: Anual · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
In Ávila, the Moon covered 99.8% of the Sun.
At 20:32 local time, the Moon took a bite out of the Sun over Ávila, covering up to 99.8% 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 39/ 100
Eclipse visible
See the eclipse from Ávila minute by minute
Compare locations, save your plan and enable cloud alerts.
About Ávila
Ávila is the capital of its namesake province in the Castile and León autonomous community. With nearly 58,000 inhabitants, it sits on the Castilian plateau at 1,127 meters of altitude, placing it among Spain's highest provincial capitals. Its position in the interior of the central plateau gives it a marked continental climate, with warm summers and clear skies frequently occurring during August.
For this eclipse
On August 12, 2026, Ávila will witness a partial solar eclipse whose maximum will occur at 20:31 local time. At that moment, the Sun will be just 8.1° above the horizon in the west-northwest direction (azimuth 283°), with a margin of 7° relative to the actual topographic horizon. The Sun's low position requires a clear horizon toward the west; any obstacle in that direction could hinder observation of the maximum.
The weather in August
According to AEMET data for the 1991-2020 period, August in Ávila presents a low thunderstorm risk, which favors days with stable skies. The city's altitude—over 1,100 meters—moderates summer temperatures compared to other interior capitals on the peninsula. Overall, August's weather conditions are favorable for observation, though it is wise to check the weather forecast in the days before the eclipse.
Past eclipses
The last annular eclipse visible from Ávila took place on October 3, 2005, 21 years ago, with an obscuration of 90.2% of the solar disk. No record exists of a previous total eclipse for this location. After the eclipses of 2026, 2027, and 2028, one must wait until December 8, 2113 for another annular eclipse to cross Ávila's sky.
Direction and altitude of the Sun
At the moment of maximum, at 20:31, the Sun will be in the west-northwest direction with an azimuth of 283° and an altitude of 8.1° above the horizon. This grazing position, typical of late afternoon in August, casts warm and oblique light. To observe the eclipse properly, it is essential to face northwest and have a clear horizon free from buildings, trees, or other obstructions in that direction.
Editorial text by eclipses.app · Data: Wikidata, AEMET, NASA and JPL planetary ephemerides.
01
The eclipse from Ávila
In Ávila, the eclipse reached its maximum at 20:32 local time, with 99.8% of the Sun covered by the Moon.
In Ávila, the Sun was 8° above the horizon, toward the WNW. With that much margin above the horizon, any spot with open sky worked.
This area typically sees around 5% median cloud cover at that hour, based on ten years of historical data — not a forecast for this specific eclipse.
02
Take this data to your site
Embed this eclipse on your site
Generate the code to embed the eclipse widget on your hotel, town hall or blog website.
<iframe src="https://eclipses.app/embed/widget?lat=40.6572&lon=-4.6995&size=standard&theme=dark&locale=en" width="320" height="340" frameborder="0" loading="lazy" title="Eclipse 2026"></iframe>03
Don't miss it
04
Eclipse schedule in Ávila
Local time · Europe/Madrid| Phase | Local time | UTC | Progress | Sun alt. | Sun az. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C1 — Partial begins | 19:36:18 | 17:36:18 UTC | +18.6° | 273.9° | |
| Maximum | 20:32:14 | 18:32:14 UTC | +8.1° | 282.6° | |
| The Sun sets behind the terrain(terrain event, not an eclipse phase) | 21:13 | 19:13 UTC | +1.0° | 289.1° | |
| C4 — Partial endsnot visible | 21:24:36 | 19:24:36 UTC | -0.9° | 291.0° |
Phases marked with ⛰️ were not seen: the Sun was already hidden behind the real terrain at that moment.
05
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
- 40.6572° N
- Longitude
- 4.6995° W
- Elevation
- 1127 m
Eclipse phases
- Eclipse begins
- 19:36:18
- Maximum
- 20:32:14
- Eclipse ends
- 21:24:36
- Sunset (flat horizon)
- 21:20:30
Duration
- Eclipse
- 1h 48m 19s
Values at maximum
- Obscuration
- 99.8%
- Sun altitude
- +8.1°
- Sun azimuth
- 282.6°
06
Sun direction and altitude at maximum
It was toward WNW (282.6°)
282.6° WNW
Azimuth at maximum
8.12°
Sun altitude at maximum
1.16°
Terrain horizon
+6.96°
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 Ávila
| Peak | Elevation | Distance | Azimuth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pico Zapatero | 2158 m | 23.3 km | 218° SW |
| Cancha Morena | 2122 m | 23.1 km | 217° SW |
| Risco del Sol | 2113 m | 22.7 km | 217° SW |
| Risco Redondo | 2054 m | 24.1 km | 219° SW |
| Peña Cabrera | 1997 m | 22.0 km | 211° SSW |
| Peña Negrilla | 1763 m | 19.8 km | 212° SSW |
| Cerro de Gorría | 1725.6 m | 24.1 km | 270° W |
| Risco Descolgadero | 1679 m | 20.5 km | 200° SSW |
07
The August sky
5%Historical average cloud cover
P25 — clearer days · 0%Median cloud cover · 5%P75 — cloudier days · 42%
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 Ávila
- Last annular eclipseOctober 3, 200521 years ago
- Next annular eclipseDecember 8, 2113
Solar eclipses computed from astronomical ephemerides for the city's coordinates.
08
Frequently asked questions about the eclipse in Ávila
Was the eclipse of August 12, 2026 visible from Ávila?
Yes, partial eclipse: the Sun was 99.8% covered at maximum from Ávila.
What time was the eclipse maximum in Ávila?
Maximum occurred at 20:32 local time (18:32 UTC) in Ávila.
Which direction was the Sun in during the eclipse from Ávila?
The Sun was toward the WNW (azimuth 283°), 8° above the horizon at maximum from Ávila.
Was Ávila a good place to watch the eclipse?
Ávila 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.
09