Eclipse 12 Aug 2026 · 20:32
Castelló de la Plana
39.986°, -0.049° · 30 m a.s.l.
1 min 30 s of night in broad daylight
Visible · score 77/100 Sun at +5° · 286° WNW
The Sun clears local terrain by 3.45° at C3.
Full totality was visible here, but the Sun set before the partial phase ended — an unusually epic finale.
Total eclipse · 100% obscuration
C1 — Partial begins
19:38
☀ +15°
C2 — Totality begins
20:31
☀ +5°
Maximum
20:32
1m 30s · 286° WNW
C4 — Partial ends
21:23
☀ -4°
CASTELLÓ DE LA PLANA · 39.986° N -0.049° W
Photo: Martin Cox from Benicasim, España · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
In Castelló de la Plana, day turned to night for 1 min 30 s.
At 20:32 local time, the Moon fully covered the Sun over Castelló de la Plana. For 1 min 30 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 60/ 100
Marginal visibility — depends on fine horizon
See the eclipse from Castelló de la Plana minute by minute
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About Castelló de la Plana
Castelló de la Plana is the capital of the province of Castellón, in the Valencia Community, with around 172,000 inhabitants. Located just 30 meters above sea level, the city sits on the coastal plain that bears its name, between the Mediterranean shoreline and the foothills of the interior. Founded in 1251, it is an administrative and commercial hub with direct access to the sea through the port of Grau.
For this eclipse
On August 12, 2026, Castelló de la Plana will lie within the path of totality. At maximum eclipse, expected at 20:31 local time, the Sun will stand just 4.5° above the horizon—equivalent to the width of three fingers at arm's length. The margin above the topographic horizon is 2.7°, so a location with a clear horizon to the west-southwest is critical to catch the moment of the corona.
The weather in August
In August, Castelló de la Plana experiences a low thunderstorm risk according to AEMET records, favoring days of predominantly clear skies. Proximity to the Mediterranean moderates temperatures compared to inland Valencia and brings the characteristic humidity of the coast. The city's summer climate pattern is typically Mediterranean: sparse precipitation and frequently clear skies.
Past eclipses
The last total solar eclipse visible from Castelló de la Plana occurred on August 30, 1905, 121 years ago, with totality lasting approximately 3 minutes and 30 seconds. Before that, the city witnessed an annular eclipse on November 11, 1901. After the eclipses of 2026 and 2028, the next annular eclipse to cross this region will not occur until July 2075.
Direction and altitude of the Sun
At maximum eclipse, at 20:31, the Sun will be at azimuth 286°, practically west-northwest—slightly north of due west. With an altitude of 4.5° above the geometric horizon, the solar disk will be very close to the landscape profile. To observe totality, it is advisable to find a location with a clear horizon in that direction, unobstructed by buildings, trees, or elevations that might block the view.
Editorial text by eclipses.app · Data: Wikidata, AEMET, NASA and JPL planetary ephemerides.
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The eclipse from Castelló de la Plana
In Castelló de la Plana, totality began at 20:31 local time and lasted 1 min 30 s, until 20:33. The eclipse maximum fell at 20:32.
In Castelló de la Plana, the Sun was 5° above the horizon, toward the WNW. Even so, a clear horizon toward the WNW helped.
This area typically sees around 16% 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 Castelló de la Plana
Local time · Europe/Madrid| Phase | Local time | UTC | Progress | Sun alt. | Sun az. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C1 — Partial begins | 19:37:32 | 17:37:32 UTC | +14.7° | 277.2° | |
| C2 — Totality begins | 20:31:21 | 18:31:21 UTC | +4.7° | 285.5° | |
| Maximum | 20:32:07 | 18:32:07 UTC | +4.6° | 285.6° | |
| C3 — Totality ends | 20:32:51 | 18:32:51 UTC | +4.5° | 285.7° | |
| The Sun sets behind the terrain(terrain event, not an eclipse phase) | 20:51 | 18:51 UTC | +1.3° | 288.6° | |
| C4 — Partial endsnot visible | 21:23:23 | 19:23:23 UTC | -4.2° | 293.9° |
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
- 39.9857° N
- Longitude
- 0.0493° W
- Elevation
- 30 m
Eclipse phases
- Eclipse begins
- 19:37:32
- Totality begins
- 20:31:21
- Maximum
- 20:32:07
- Totality ends
- 20:32:51
- Eclipse ends
- 21:23:23
- Sunset (flat horizon)
- 21:00:56
Duration
- Eclipse
- 1h 45m 51s
- Totality
- 1m 30s
Values at maximum
- Obscuration
- 100%
- Sun altitude
- +4.6°
- Sun azimuth
- 285.6°
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Sun direction and altitude at maximum
It was toward WNW (285.6°)
285.6° WNW
Azimuth at maximum
4.60°
Sun altitude at maximum
1.01°
Terrain horizon
+3.45°
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 Castelló de la Plana
| Peak | Elevation | Distance | Azimuth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tossal de Gossalbo | 870 m | 24.6 km | 322° NW |
| Tossal del PerroIn the Sun's direction | 857 m | 24.2 km | 305° NW |
| la Nevera | 853 m | 24.9 km | 236° SW |
| Tossal del Rouret | 848 m | 24.8 km | 320° NW |
| Tossal de la Cova PedrissaIn the Sun's direction | 838 m | 24.5 km | 305° NW |
| Tossal dels FossinosIn the Sun's direction | 836.25 m | 23.9 km | 306° NW |
| el Cuquello | 802 m | 24.2 km | 236° SW |
| Tossal Redó | 799 m | 24.2 km | 324° NW |
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The August sky
16%Historical average cloud cover
P25 — clearer days · 4%Median cloud cover · 16%P75 — cloudier days · 61%
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 Castelló de la Plana
- Last total eclipseAugust 12, 20260 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 Castelló de la Plana
Was the eclipse of August 12, 2026 visible from Castelló de la Plana?
Yes — Castelló de la Plana was inside the totality path and the horizon allowed the total phase to be fully visible.
What time was the eclipse maximum in Castelló de la Plana?
Maximum occurred at 20:32 local time (18:32 UTC) in Castelló de la Plana.
Which direction was the Sun in during the eclipse from Castelló de la Plana?
The Sun was toward the WNW (azimuth 286°), 5° above the horizon at maximum from Castelló de la Plana.
How long did totality last in Castelló de la Plana?
Totality lasted 1 min 30 s in Castelló de la Plana (C2 to C3). (corrected for the Moon's limb profile)
Was Castelló de la Plana a good place to watch the eclipse?
Castelló de la Plana 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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