Eclipse 12 Aug 2026 · 20:32
Collado-Villalba
40.635°, -4.005° · 884 m a.s.l.
0 min 29 s of night in broad daylight
Visible · score 72/100 Sun at +8° · 283° WNW
The Sun clears local terrain by 4.67° 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
19:36
☀ +18°
C2 — Totality begins
20:32
☀ +8°
Maximum
20:32
29s · 283° WNW
C4 — Partial ends
21:24
☀ -1°
COLLADO-VILLALBA · 40.635° N -4.005° W
Photo: Zarateman · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
In Collado-Villalba, day turned to night for 0 min 29 s.
At 20:32 local time, the Moon fully covered the Sun over Collado-Villalba. For 0 min 29 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 36/ 100
Eclipse visible
See the eclipse from Collado-Villalba minute by minute
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About Collado-Villalba
Collado-Villalba is a municipality in the northwestern highlands of the Madrid region, nestled on the southern slope of the Guadarrama range at 884 meters elevation. Home to more than 63,000 residents, it sits at the heart of the Guadarrama corridor and acts as a communications hub between Madrid city and the surrounding mountains. Its elevated location, insulated from urban thermal inversion effects, provides favorable observing conditions when the skies clear.
For this eclipse
On August 12, 2026, Collado-Villalba lies within the path of totality. Maximum occurs at 20:31 local time, with the Sun just 7.6° above the horizon and a clearance of 5.3° with respect to the terrain. The low solar altitude demands an unobstructed western horizon: any obstacle—trees, buildings, or the mountain slopes themselves—can block the view. It is advisable to find an elevated location with open ground facing west.
The weather in August
August is the driest month of the year in the Madrid mountains, and Collado-Villalba is no exception. The risk of lightning storms in August is low, which improves the chances of clear skies on eclipse day. The altitude moderates temperatures compared to the plains below, making afternoons milder than in the capital. The reference AEMET station is 3268C.
Past eclipses
The last total eclipse visible from Collado-Villalba dates back to July 8, 1842—184 years ago—with a duration of just over one minute. In October 2005, an annular eclipse covered 90% of the solar disk for about four minutes. After the 2026–2028 cycle, the next significant annular eclipse will not arrive until December 8, 2113.
Direction and altitude of the Sun
At the moment of maximum eclipse, the Sun stands at 7.6° altitude, oriented toward the west-northwest, with an azimuth of 283°. This position roughly corresponds to the direction in which the Sun sets around the summer solstice. The low angle causes raking light to cast long shadows and gives the landscape an unusual atmosphere during totality.
Editorial text by eclipses.app · Data: Wikidata, AEMET, NASA and JPL planetary ephemerides.
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The eclipse from Collado-Villalba
In Collado-Villalba, totality began at 20:32 local time and lasted 0 min 29 s, until 20:32. The eclipse maximum fell at 20:32.
In Collado-Villalba, the Sun was 8° above the horizon, toward the WNW. Even so, a clear horizon toward the WNW helped.
This area typically sees around 14% 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 Collado-Villalba
Local time · Europe/Madrid| Phase | Local time | UTC | Progress | Sun alt. | Sun az. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C1 — Partial begins | 19:36:20 | 17:36:20 UTC | +18.0° | 274.3° | |
| C2 — Totality begins | 20:31:49 | 18:31:49 UTC | +7.7° | 283.0° | |
| Maximum | 20:32:03 | 18:32:03 UTC | +7.6° | 283.1° | |
| C3 — Totality ends | 20:32:18 | 18:32:18 UTC | +7.6° | 283.1° | |
| The Sun sets behind the terrain(terrain event, not an eclipse phase) | 20:57 | 18:57 UTC | +3.1° | 287.1° | |
| C4 — Partial endsnot visible | 21:24:16 | 19:24:16 UTC | -1.3° | 291.4° |
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).
Location
- Latitude
- 40.6351° N
- Longitude
- 4.0049° W
- Elevation
- 884 m
Eclipse phases
- Eclipse begins
- 19:36:20
- Totality begins
- 20:31:49
- Maximum
- 20:32:03
- Totality ends
- 20:32:18
- Eclipse ends
- 21:24:16
- Sunset (flat horizon)
- 21:17:45
Duration
- Eclipse
- 1h 47m 56s
- Totality
- At the edge
This location falls on the edge of the path of totality. You may see a few seconds of totality or just a very deep partial eclipse — the difference comes down to metres. We don't publish a duration because we couldn't stand behind it.
Values at maximum
- Obscuration
- 100%
- Sun altitude
- +7.6°
- Sun azimuth
- 283.1°
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Sun direction and altitude at maximum
It was toward WNW (283.1°)
283.1° WNW
Azimuth at maximum
7.64°
Sun altitude at maximum
2.92°
Terrain horizon
+4.67°
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 Collado-Villalba
| Peak | Elevation | Distance | Azimuth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peñalara | 2428 m | 24.3 km | 10° N |
| Risco de los Claveles | 2387 m | 24.9 km | 10° N |
| Cabeza de Hierro Mayor | 2383 m | 19.3 km | 18° NNE |
| Cabeza de Hierro Menor | 2376 m | 18.8 km | 17° NNE |
| Hermana Mayor | 2284 m | 23.1 km | 9° N |
| Cerro de Valdemartín | 2282 m | 17.9 km | 11° NNE |
| Hermana Menor | 2269 m | 22.4 km | 8° N |
| Alto de las Guarramillas (Bola del Mundo) | 2265 m | 16.8 km | 7° N |
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The August sky
14%Historical average cloud cover
P25 — clearer days · 0%Median cloud cover · 14%P75 — cloudier days · 50%
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 Collado-Villalba
- Last total eclipseAugust 12, 20260 years ago
- Last annular eclipseOctober 3, 200521 years ago
- Next annular eclipseDecember 8, 2113
Solar eclipses computed from astronomical ephemerides for the city's coordinates.
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Frequently asked questions about the eclipse in Collado-Villalba
Was the eclipse of August 12, 2026 visible from Collado-Villalba?
Yes — Collado-Villalba was inside the totality path and the horizon allowed the total phase to be fully visible.
What time was the eclipse maximum in Collado-Villalba?
Maximum occurred at 20:32 local time (18:32 UTC) in Collado-Villalba.
Which direction was the Sun in during the eclipse from Collado-Villalba?
The Sun was toward the WNW (azimuth 283°), 8° above the horizon at maximum from Collado-Villalba.
How long did totality last in Collado-Villalba?
Totality lasted 0 min 29 s in Collado-Villalba (C2 to C3).
Was Collado-Villalba a good place to watch the eclipse?
Collado-Villalba 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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