Eclipse 12 Aug 2026 · 20:40
Ceuta
35.889°, -5.320° · 22 m a.s.l.
93% of the Sun covered at maximum
Visible · score 47/100 Sun at +6° · 284° WNW
The Sun clears local terrain by 2.39° at peak.
Partial eclipse · 93% obscuration
CEUTA · 35.889° N -5.320° W
Photo: Mario Sánchez Bueno · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
In Ceuta, the Moon covered 93% of the Sun.
At 20:40 local time, the Moon took a bite out of the Sun over Ceuta, covering up to 93% 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 100/ 100
Full totality 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 59/ 100
Full ring visible
See the eclipse from Ceuta minute by minute
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About Ceuta
Ceuta is a Spanish autonomous city located at the far northern tip of Africa, on the Almina peninsula, adjacent to the Strait of Gibraltar. With a population of 83,179 inhabitants and an altitude of barely 22 metres above sea level, it sits across from the Andalusian coast, separated from the Iberian Peninsula by just a few kilometres of water. Its position between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic gives it a Mediterranean maritime climate with influences from the strait.
For this eclipse
On 12 August 2026, Ceuta will experience a partial solar eclipse. Maximum occurs at 20:39, with the Sun at 6.1° above the horizon and a clearance of 3.4° above the local topographic profile. As a partial eclipse, the Moon will cover a portion of the solar disc, visible to the naked eye with appropriate filters. Observation will be possible, although the Sun will be close to the western horizon by late afternoon.
The weather in August
August is the driest month of the year in Ceuta: average precipitation does not exceed 1.5 mm and the risk of thunderstorms is low according to AEMET records from the 1991–2020 period. Temperatures remain mild, with an average of 25.4 °C, highs rarely exceeding 29 °C, and lows around 21.7 °C. The strait breeze moderates the heat and makes August one of the most stable months of the year.
Past eclipses
The last total eclipse visible from Ceuta took place on 22 December 1870, 156 years ago, lasting 80 seconds of totality. After the 2028 eclipse, one will have to wait until 12 September 2053 to witness another total eclipse from the city. On that date the Moon's shadow will once again completely cover the solar disc over the Strait of Gibraltar.
Direction and altitude of the Sun
At the moment of maximum eclipse, the Sun will be at 6.1° above the horizon and at an azimuth of 284°, that is, towards the west-northwest, slightly north of due west. For observation, it is advisable to find a spot with a clear horizon in that direction, such as the coast or an elevation overlooking the western Mediterranean and the strait.
Editorial text by eclipses.app · Data: Wikidata, AEMET, NASA and JPL planetary ephemerides.
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The eclipse from Ceuta
In Ceuta, the eclipse reached its maximum at 20:40 local time, with 93% of the Sun covered by the Moon.
In Ceuta, the Sun was 6° above the horizon, toward the WNW. Even so, a clear horizon toward the WNW helped.
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.
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Eclipse schedule in Ceuta
Local time · Europe/Madrid| Phase | Local time | UTC | Progress | Sun alt. | Sun az. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C1 — Partial begins | 19:44:37 | 17:44:37 UTC | +17.0° | 276.3° | |
| Maximum | 20:39:50 | 18:39:50 UTC | +6.1° | 284.0° | |
| The Sun sets behind the terrain(terrain event, not an eclipse phase) | 20:53 | 18:53 UTC | +3.5° | 285.9° | |
| C4 — Partial endsnot visible | 21:31:25 | 19:31:25 UTC | -3.4° | 291.5° |
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
- 35.8892° N
- Longitude
- 5.3204° W
- Elevation
- 22 m
Eclipse phases
- Eclipse begins
- 19:44:37
- Maximum
- 20:39:50
- Eclipse ends
- 21:31:25
- Sunset (flat horizon)
- 21:14:37
Duration
- Eclipse
- 1h 46m 48s
Values at maximum
- Obscuration
- 93%
- Sun altitude
- +6.1°
- Sun azimuth
- 284.0°
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Sun direction and altitude at maximum
It was toward WNW (284.0°)
284.0° WNW
Azimuth at maximum
6.07°
Sun altitude at maximum
3.68°
Terrain horizon
+2.39°
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 Ceuta
| Peak | Elevation | Distance | Azimuth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jbel Mousa جبل موسىIn the Sun's direction | 839 m | 8.4 km | 277° W |
| Jbel Chendir | 452 m | 6.6 km | 261° W |
| Jbel ChinderIn the Sun's direction | 445 m | 5.9 km | 278° W |
| Jbel Tarsif | 404 m | 7.3 km | 250° WSW |
| Koudia Melh Dib | 388 m | 6.6 km | 257° WSW |
| Koudia Ayenab | 359 m | 6.6 km | 246° WSW |
| Hafa Aabid el Mensah | 352 m | 6.2 km | 266° W |
| Koudia Ali كدية علي | 264 m | 6.3 km | 237° WSW |
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The August sky
Avg. temp.
25.4°C
Max / min
29° / 21.7°
Precipitation
1.5 mm
Storm risk
Low
Station CEUTA, 2 km away · Period 1991-2020 · Source: AEMET
5%Historical average cloud cover
P25 — clearer days · 0%Median cloud cover · 5%P75 — cloudier days · 27%
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 Ceuta
- Last total eclipseDecember 22, 1870156 years ago
- Next total eclipseSeptember 12, 2053
- 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 Ceuta
Was the eclipse of August 12, 2026 visible from Ceuta?
Yes, partial eclipse: the Sun was 93% covered at maximum from Ceuta.
What time was the eclipse maximum in Ceuta?
Maximum occurred at 20:39 local time (18:39 UTC) in Ceuta.
Which direction was the Sun in during the eclipse from Ceuta?
The Sun was toward the WNW (azimuth 284°), 6° above the horizon at maximum from Ceuta.
Was Ceuta a good place to watch the eclipse?
Ceuta could see the eclipse with limitations (score 47/100): 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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