Eclipse 12 Aug 2026 · 20:29
Barcelona
41.389°, 2.159° · 15 m a.s.l.
99.8% of the Sun covered at maximum
Marginal · score 40/100 Sun at +4° · 286° WNW
Marginal: only 0.43° between the Sun and the local skyline at peak.
Partial eclipse · 99.8% obscuration
BARCELONA · 41.389° N 2.159° E
Photo: dronepicr · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
In Barcelona, the Moon covered 99.8% of the Sun.
At 20:29 local time, the Moon took a bite out of the Sun over Barcelona, 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 50/ 100
Blocked by terrain
See the eclipse from Barcelona minute by minute
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About Barcelona
Barcelona is the capital of Cataluña and Spain's second city by population, with close to 1.7 million inhabitants. It spreads along the Mediterranean Sea, on a coastal plain framed by the Collserola range and bounded by the Besòs and Llobregat rivers. Its open seafront gives it a clear horizon towards the east and south.
For this eclipse
On 12 August 2026, Barcelona will witness a partial solar eclipse. The city does not fall within the path of totality, which lies further inland and to the north. The eclipse coincides with the Sun very low over the horizon: observation will depend largely on having a view free of obstacles towards the west-northwest.
The weather in August
According to AEMET data, August in Barcelona brings a low thunderstorm risk, a favourable factor for observing the eclipse. The reference station does not provide temperature or rainfall averages for this summary; even so, summer on the Mediterranean coast tends to be warm with settled skies at dusk.
Past eclipses
The last total solar eclipse visible from Barcelona was on 12 May 1706, 320 years ago. The last annular one was seen on 11 November 1901. After the eclipses of 2026 to 2028, no new totality over the city is expected within the computed horizon; the next annular eclipse will be on 13 July 2075.
Direction and altitude of the Sun
At 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, any rise in the terrain or building in that direction can hide the Sun. It is worth finding an elevated spot with the west completely clear.
Editorial text by eclipses.app · Data: Wikidata, AEMET, NASA and JPL planetary ephemerides.
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The eclipse from Barcelona
In Barcelona, the eclipse reached its maximum at 20:29 local time, with 99.8% of the Sun covered by the Moon.
In Barcelona, the Sun was 4° above the horizon, toward the WNW. It sat right at the edge of the horizon: even a small nearby obstacle could have blocked it.
This area typically sees around 17% median cloud cover at that hour, based on ten years of historical data — not a forecast for this specific eclipse.
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<iframe src="https://eclipses.app/embed/widget?lat=41.3888&lon=2.1590&size=standard&theme=dark&locale=en" width="320" height="340" frameborder="0" loading="lazy" title="Eclipse 2026"></iframe>03
Don't miss it
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Eclipse schedule in Barcelona
Local time · Europe/Madrid| Phase | Local time | UTC | Progress | Sun alt. | Sun az. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C1 — Partial begins | 19:35:05 | 17:35:05 UTC | +13.7° | 277.8° | |
| Maximum | 20:29:18 | 18:29:18 UTC | +3.9° | 286.5° | |
| The Sun sets behind the terrain(terrain event, not an eclipse phase) | 20:31 | 18:31 UTC | +3.6° | 286.8° | |
| C4 — Partial endsnot visible | 21:20:21 | 19:20:21 UTC | -4.6° | 295.0° |
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
- 41.3888° N
- Longitude
- 2.1590° E
- Elevation
- 15 m
Eclipse phases
- Eclipse begins
- 19:35:05
- Maximum
- 20:29:18
- Eclipse ends
- 21:20:21
- Sunset (flat horizon)
- 20:54:52
Duration
- Eclipse
- 1h 45m 16s
Values at maximum
- Obscuration
- 99.8%
- Sun altitude
- +3.9°
- Sun azimuth
- 286.5°
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Sun direction and altitude at maximum
It was toward WNW (286.5°)
286.5° WNW
Azimuth at maximum
3.92°
Sun altitude at maximum
3.49°
Terrain horizon
+0.43°
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 Barcelona
| Peak | Elevation | Distance | Azimuth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montau | 658 m | 23.4 km | 258° WSW |
| Puig d'Agulles | 652.9 m | 23.0 km | 275° W |
| el Montcau | 645.8 m | 24.6 km | 276° W |
| Roc de Forellac | 628.9 m | 23.4 km | 276° W |
| Puig Saiada | 621 m | 22.3 km | 259° W |
| Puig de l'Osca | 614.9 m | 22.5 km | 268° W |
| Puig Bernat | 612 m | 23.2 km | 266° W |
| Pujol de Migjorn | 600.6 m | 23.0 km | 280° W |
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The August sky
17%Historical average cloud cover
P25 — clearer days · 4%Median cloud cover · 17%P75 — cloudier days · 72%
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 Barcelona
- Last total eclipseMay 12, 1706320 years ago
- Last annular eclipseNovember 11, 1901125 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 Barcelona
Was the eclipse of August 12, 2026 visible from Barcelona?
Yes, but marginally: with 99.8% obscuration, the topographic horizon from Barcelona was very close to the Sun's altitude at the end.
What time was the eclipse maximum in Barcelona?
Maximum occurred at 20:29 local time (18:29 UTC) in Barcelona.
Which direction was the Sun in during the eclipse from Barcelona?
The Sun was toward the WNW (azimuth 286°), 4° above the horizon at maximum from Barcelona.
Was Barcelona a good place to watch the eclipse?
Barcelona could see the eclipse with limitations (score 40/100): 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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