Eclipse 12 Aug 2026 · 20:28
Bilbao
43.263°, -2.925° · 20 m a.s.l.
0 min 19 s of night in broad daylight
Visible · score 68/100 Sun at +8° · 283° WNW
The Sun clears local terrain by 5.13° at C3.
Full totality was visible here. C3 — the end of totality — stayed above the horizon.
Total eclipse · 100% obscuration
C1 — Partial begins
19:32
☀ +18°
C2 — Totality begins
20:27
☀ +8°
Maximum
20:28
19s · 283° WNW
C4 — Partial ends
21:20
☀ -0°
BILBAO · 43.263° N -2.925° W
Photo: Tommie Hansen · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
In Bilbao, day turned to night for 0 min 19 s.
At 20:28 local time, the Moon fully covered the Sun over Bilbao. For 0 min 19 s, the sky darkened as if it were night, leaving the Sun as a ring of light around a black disc.
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 23/ 100
Blocked by terrain
See the eclipse from Bilbao minute by minute
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About Bilbao
Bilbao, capital of the historic Bizkaia region, lies in the Basque Country just meters above sea level. With a population of over 347,000 inhabitants, the city spreads along the left bank of the ría in a region characterized by oceanic climate. Its coastal location in northern Spain makes it a privileged observatory for astronomical phenomena.
For this eclipse
The total eclipse of August 12, 2026 reaches maximum in Bilbao at 20:27 local time. The Sun is positioned in the west-northwest at an azimuth of 283 degrees, with an altitude of 8.2 degrees above the horizon. This relatively low position requires attention to the western horizon to observe the phenomenon completely without obstruction.
The weather in August
August in Bilbao reflects the temperate character of the Basque Country. Average temperature hovers around 21.2 degrees Celsius, with highs of 26.3 degrees and lows of 16.1. The precipitation typical of the region averages 52.7 millimeters during August. Storm risk is moderate and clear sky visibility reaches 44 percent.
Past eclipses
Bilbao witnessed its last total eclipse 166 years ago, on July 18, 1860, with a totality duration of 163 seconds. Before that, an annular eclipse was visible on April 1, 1764, over 260 years ago. After the 2026 eclipse, the next total eclipse Bilbao will see will not occur until November 17, 2180.
Direction and altitude of the Sun
At maximum, the Sun moves toward the west-northwest from Bilbao, just over 8 degrees above the horizon. The apparent path follows the characteristic direction of summer afternoons at northern latitudes, slowly descending toward the western horizon. This low angle requires clear visibility of the western horizon.
Editorial text by eclipses.app · Data: Wikidata, AEMET, NASA and JPL planetary ephemerides.
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The eclipse from Bilbao
In Bilbao, totality began at 20:27 local time and lasted 0 min 19 s, until 20:28. The eclipse maximum fell at 20:28.
In Bilbao, 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 46% 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 Bilbao
Local time · Europe/Madrid| Phase | Local time | UTC | Progress | Sun alt. | Sun az. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C1 — Partial begins | 19:31:49 | 17:31:49 UTC | +18.2° | 273.4° | |
| C2 — Totality begins | 20:27:29 | 18:27:29 UTC | +8.3° | 282.7° | |
| Maximum | 20:27:38 | 18:27:38 UTC | +8.2° | 282.7° | |
| C3 — Totality ends | 20:27:48 | 18:27:48 UTC | +8.2° | 282.7° | |
| The Sun sets behind the terrain(terrain event, not an eclipse phase) | 21:05 | 19:05 UTC | +1.9° | 288.9° | |
| C4 — Partial endsnot visible | 21:20:04 | 19:20:04 UTC | -0.4° | 291.5° |
Phases marked with ⛰️ were not seen: the Sun was already hidden behind the real terrain at that moment.
C2/C3 times and duration corrected for the lunar limb (the Moon's real edge profile).
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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
- 43.2627° N
- Longitude
- 2.9253° W
- Elevation
- 20 m
Eclipse phases
- Eclipse begins
- 19:31:49
- Totality begins
- 20:27:29
- Maximum
- 20:27:38
- Totality ends
- 20:27:48
- Eclipse ends
- 21:20:04
- Sunset (flat horizon)
- 21:19:04
Duration
- Eclipse
- 1h 48m 15s
- Totality
- 19s
Values at maximum
- Obscuration
- 100%
- Sun altitude
- +8.2°
- Sun azimuth
- 282.7°
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Sun direction and altitude at maximum
It was toward WNW (282.7°)
282.7° WNW
Azimuth at maximum
8.23°
Sun altitude at maximum
3.07°
Terrain horizon
+5.13°
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 Bilbao
| Peak | Elevation | Distance | Azimuth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lekanda | 1309 m | 24.2 km | 154° SSE |
| Igalirrintza | 1304.1 m | 23.9 km | 154° SSE |
| Aranobaltza | 1284 m | 23.7 km | 154° SSE |
| Oderiaga Arna | 1243.6 m | 24.5 km | 164° SSE |
| Atxausieta | 1211 m | 24.5 km | 155° SSE |
| Uresartutendan atxa | 1188 m | 24.9 km | 157° SSE |
| Asparreta | 1185 m | 23.1 km | 155° SSE |
| Arteta | 1173 m | 24.6 km | 155° SSE |
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The August sky
Avg. temp.
21.2°C
Max / min
26.3° / 16.1°
Precipitation
52.7 mm
Storm risk
Medium
Station BILBAO AEROPUERTO, 4 km away · Period 1991-2020 · Source: AEMET
46%Historical average cloud cover
P25 — clearer days · 11%Median cloud cover · 46%P75 — cloudier days · 87%
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 Bilbao
- Last total eclipseAugust 12, 20260 years ago
- Last annular eclipseApril 1, 1764262 years ago
- Next total eclipseNovember 17, 2180
- Next annular eclipseFebruary 27, 2082
Solar eclipses computed from astronomical ephemerides for the city's coordinates.
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Frequently asked questions about the eclipse in Bilbao
Was the eclipse of August 12, 2026 visible from Bilbao?
Yes — Bilbao was inside the totality path and the horizon allowed the total phase to be fully visible.
What time was the eclipse maximum in Bilbao?
Maximum occurred at 20:27 local time (18:27 UTC) in Bilbao.
Which direction was the Sun in during the eclipse from Bilbao?
The Sun was toward the WNW (azimuth 283°), 8° above the horizon at maximum from Bilbao.
How long did totality last in Bilbao?
Totality lasted 0 min 19 s in Bilbao (C2 to C3). (corrected for the Moon's limb profile)
Was Bilbao a good place to watch the eclipse?
Bilbao saw totality (C2-C3) very close to the western horizon. The partial end (C4) fell below the horizon: a clear western view was needed for an epic experience.
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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