Eclipse 12 Aug 2026 · 20:35
Ciudad Real
38.986°, -3.929° · 633 m a.s.l.
98% of the Sun covered at maximum
Visible · score 50/100 Sun at +7° · 284° WNW
The Sun clears local terrain by 5.92° at peak.
Partial eclipse · 98% obscuration
CIUDAD REAL · 38.986° N -3.929° W
Photo: kyezitri · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
In Ciudad Real, the Moon covered 98% of the Sun.
At 20:35 local time, the Moon took a bite out of the Sun over Ciudad Real, covering up to 98% 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 76/ 100
Full ring visible
See the eclipse from Ciudad Real minute by minute
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About Ciudad Real
Ciudad Real, capital of the province of the same name in Castile-La Mancha, sits in the Manchegan plain at 633 metres above sea level. With some 74,700 inhabitants, it is the administrative and service hub of a region characterised by vast flat lands dedicated to vineyards and cereals. The city lies in the interior of the peninsula, far from the coast, at the heart of the southern submeseta, which gives it a continental climate with cold winters and hot, dry summers.
For this eclipse
On 12 August 2026, Ciudad Real will witness a partial solar eclipse that reaches its maximum coverage at 20:34 (local time). The Sun will be just 6.7° above the horizon at that moment, oriented towards the west with a slight inclination to the northwest (284°), with a margin of 6.4° above the topographic horizon. The eclipse will be visible from clear ground in that direction, although the proximity to the horizon requires finding an unobstructed perspective towards the west.
The weather in August
According to AEMET data for the period 1991–2020, August presents in Ciudad Real a low risk of thunderstorms, a favourable condition for eclipse observation. The position of the city on the Manchegan plain, away from maritime influence, favours clear skies during summer; August is one of the most stable months of the year on this stretch of the southern Meseta.
Past eclipses
The last total eclipse visible from Ciudad Real took place on 10 July 1600, more than four centuries ago, with a duration of totality of around two minutes. After the eclipses of 2026, 2027 and 2028, one must wait until 13 July 2075 for the next significant annular eclipse over the city, with a coverage of 87.3 % of the solar disc.
Direction and altitude of the Sun
At the moment of greatest eclipse coverage, the Sun will be at 6.7° above the horizon, pointing in the direction 284°, nearly due west with a slight deviation towards the northwest. To obtain a clear view of the phenomenon, it is advisable to find a location with an unobstructed horizon—free from buildings, trees or relief features—in that western direction, given the low altitude of the celestial body at that instant.
Editorial text by eclipses.app · Data: Wikidata, AEMET, NASA and JPL planetary ephemerides.
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The eclipse from Ciudad Real
In Ciudad Real, the eclipse reached its maximum at 20:35 local time, with 98% of the Sun covered by the Moon.
In Ciudad Real, the Sun was 7° above the horizon, toward the WNW. With that much margin above the horizon, any spot with open sky worked.
This area typically sees around 4% median cloud cover at that hour, based on ten years of historical data — not a forecast for this specific eclipse.
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Don't miss it
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Eclipse schedule in Ciudad Real
Local time · Europe/Madrid| Phase | Local time | UTC | Progress | Sun alt. | Sun az. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C1 — Partial begins | 19:39:16 | 17:39:16 UTC | +17.3° | 275.4° | |
| Maximum | 20:34:42 | 18:34:42 UTC | +6.7° | 283.7° | |
| The Sun sets behind the terrain(terrain event, not an eclipse phase) | 21:10 | 19:10 UTC | +0.5° | 289.1° | |
| C4 — Partial endsnot visible | 21:26:37 | 19:26:37 UTC | -2.4° | 291.8° |
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
- 38.9863° N
- Longitude
- 3.9291° W
- Elevation
- 633 m
Eclipse phases
- Eclipse begins
- 19:39:16
- Maximum
- 20:34:42
- Eclipse ends
- 21:26:37
- Sunset (flat horizon)
- 21:14:23
Duration
- Eclipse
- 1h 47m 21s
Values at maximum
- Obscuration
- 98%
- Sun altitude
- +6.7°
- Sun azimuth
- 283.7°
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Sun direction and altitude at maximum
It was toward WNW (283.7°)
283.7° WNW
Azimuth at maximum
6.72°
Sun altitude at maximum
0.80°
Terrain horizon
+5.92°
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 Ciudad Real
| Peak | Elevation | Distance | Azimuth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cerro Amarillo | 1005 m | 22.8 km | 5° N |
| Plaza de los Moros | 997 m | 22.7 km | 6° N |
| Alto de la Nava | 965 m | 23.4 km | 357° N |
| Cerro de San Pantaleón | 903 m | 22.5 km | 9° N |
| Quinto Cervera | 799 m | 23.5 km | 152° SSE |
| Cerro del Cabozo | 788 m | 24.6 km | 1° N |
| La cornudilla | 775 m | 23.2 km | 147° SSE |
| Casilla de Don Luis | 761 m | 14.3 km | 314° NW |
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The August sky
4%Historical average cloud cover
P25 — clearer days · 0%Median cloud cover · 4%P75 — cloudier days · 40%
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 Ciudad Real
- Last total eclipseJuly 10, 1600426 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 Ciudad Real
Was the eclipse of August 12, 2026 visible from Ciudad Real?
Yes, partial eclipse: the Sun was 98% covered at maximum from Ciudad Real.
What time was the eclipse maximum in Ciudad Real?
Maximum occurred at 20:34 local time (18:34 UTC) in Ciudad Real.
Which direction was the Sun in during the eclipse from Ciudad Real?
The Sun was toward the WNW (azimuth 284°), 7° above the horizon at maximum from Ciudad Real.
Was Ciudad Real a good place to watch the eclipse?
Ciudad Real 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.
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