Eclipse 12 Aug 2026 · 20:31
Ciutadella
40.001°, 3.841° · 22 m a.s.l.
1 min 8 s of night in broad daylight
Visible · score 70/100 Sun at +2° · 288° WNW
The Sun clears local terrain by 1.86° 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
19:37
☀ +12°
C2 — Totality begins
20:30
☀ +2°
Maximum
20:31
1m 8s · 288° WNW
C4 — Partial ends
21:21
☀ -7°
CIUTADELLA · 40.001° N 3.841° E
Photo: LANOEL · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
In Ciutadella, day turned to night for 1 min 8 s.
At 20:31 local time, the Moon fully covered the Sun over Ciutadella. For 1 min 8 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 50/ 100
Sun below horizon
See the eclipse from Ciutadella minute by minute
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About Ciutadella
Ciutadella is the historic capital of the island of Menorca, in the Balearic Islands. With just under 30,000 inhabitants and an average altitude of 22 metres above sea level, the city lies at the western edge of the island, overlooking the Menorca Channel. Its old town, nearby coves and natural harbour make it a landmark of the Balearic archipelago, which belongs to the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands.
For this eclipse
On 12 August 2026, Ciutadella lies within the path of totality of the solar eclipse. The Sun will reach its maximum at 20:30 local time, with the star only 2° above the horizon, in the west-northwest direction (azimuth 288°). The margin between the Sun and the topographic horizon is just 1.9°, so the choice of observation point and the absence of obstacles to the west will be crucial for witnessing totality.
The weather in August
August in Ciutadella presents favourable conditions for astronomical observation. According to AEMET data from 1991–2020, the average temperature for the month stands at 25.8 °C, with highs around 30.5 °C and lows of 21.2 °C. Average monthly precipitation is just 12.2 mm and the risk of storms at this time of year is low. Summer weather tends to be stable, with little cloud cover during the day's central hours.
Past eclipses
The last annular eclipse visible from Ciutadella took place on 11 November 1901, 125 years ago, with an obscuration of 82.3 %. There is no record of an earlier total eclipse at this location. After the eclipses of 2026, 2027 and 2028, one must wait until 13 July 2075 for the next annular eclipse, and until 17 November 2180 for the next total eclipse visible from here.
Direction and altitude of the Sun
At the moment of totality, the Sun will be at 2° above the horizon, in the west-northwest direction (azimuth 288°). At that time—20:30—the star will be near sunset, practically at the same height as the sea horizon towards the west. To make the most of the eclipse, it is best to choose an observation point clear to the west, with no buildings, trees or relief features that might obscure the last degrees of visible sky.
Editorial text by eclipses.app · Data: Wikidata, AEMET, NASA and JPL planetary ephemerides.
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The eclipse from Ciutadella
In Ciutadella, totality began at 20:30 local time and lasted 1 min 8 s, until 20:31. The eclipse maximum fell at 20:31.
In Ciutadella, the Sun was 2° above the horizon, toward the WNW. Even so, a clear horizon toward the WNW helped.
This area typically sees around 1% 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 Ciutadella
Local time · Europe/Madrid| Phase | Local time | UTC | Progress | Sun alt. | Sun az. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C1 — Partial begins | 19:37:15 | 17:37:15 UTC | +11.9° | 279.5° | |
| C2 — Totality begins | 20:30:15 | 18:30:15 UTC | +2.2° | 287.8° | |
| Maximum | 20:30:51 | 18:30:51 UTC | +2.1° | 287.9° | |
| C3 — Totality ends | 20:31:23 | 18:31:23 UTC | +2.0° | 288.0° | |
| The Sun sets behind the terrain(terrain event, not an eclipse phase) | 20:42 | 18:42 UTC | +0.3° | 289.7° | |
| C4 — Partial endsnot visible | 21:21:20 | 19:21:20 UTC | -6.6° | 296.2° |
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
- 40.0011° N
- Longitude
- 3.8414° E
- Elevation
- 22 m
Eclipse phases
- Eclipse begins
- 19:37:15
- Totality begins
- 20:30:15
- Maximum
- 20:30:51
- Totality ends
- 20:31:23
- Eclipse ends
- 21:21:20
- Sunset (flat horizon)
- 20:45:25
Duration
- Eclipse
- 1h 44m 4s
- Totality
- 1m 8s
Values at maximum
- Obscuration
- 100%
- Sun altitude
- +2.1°
- Sun azimuth
- 287.9°
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Sun direction and altitude at maximum
It was toward WNW (287.9°)
287.9° WNW
Azimuth at maximum
2.11°
Sun altitude at maximum
0.15°
Terrain horizon
+1.86°
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 Ciutadella
| Peak | Elevation | Distance | Azimuth |
|---|---|---|---|
| El Toro | 362 m | 23.2 km | 94° E |
| S'Enclusa | 275 m | 13.9 km | 93° E |
| Puig de Lanzell | 232 m | 24.1 km | 94° E |
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The August sky
Avg. temp.
25.8°C
Max / min
30.5° / 21.2°
Precipitation
12.2 mm
Storm risk
Low
Station CIUTADELLA, 1 km away · Period 1991-2020 · Source: AEMET
1%Historical average cloud cover
P25 — clearer days · 0%Median cloud cover · 1%P75 — cloudier days · 15%
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 Ciutadella
- Last total eclipseAugust 12, 20260 years ago
- Last annular eclipseNovember 11, 1901125 years ago
- Next total eclipseNovember 17, 2180
- 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 Ciutadella
Was the eclipse of August 12, 2026 visible from Ciutadella?
Yes — Ciutadella was inside the totality path and the horizon allowed the total phase to be fully visible.
What time was the eclipse maximum in Ciutadella?
Maximum occurred at 20:30 local time (18:30 UTC) in Ciutadella.
Which direction was the Sun in during the eclipse from Ciutadella?
The Sun was toward the WNW (azimuth 288°), 2° above the horizon at maximum from Ciutadella.
How long did totality last in Ciutadella?
Totality lasted 1 min 8 s in Ciutadella (C2 to C3). (corrected for the Moon's limb profile)
Was Ciutadella a good place to watch the eclipse?
Ciutadella 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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