Eclipse 12 Aug 2026 · 20:32
Colmenar Viejo
40.659°, -3.768° · 889 m a.s.l.
0 min 29 s of night in broad daylight
Visible · score 78/100 Sun at +7° · 283° WNW
The Sun clears local terrain by 5.97° 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°
COLMENAR VIEJO · 40.659° N -3.768° W
Photo: Balles2601 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
In Colmenar Viejo, day turned to night for 0 min 29 s.
At 20:32 local time, the Moon fully covered the Sun over Colmenar Viejo. 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 40/ 100
Eclipse visible
See the eclipse from Colmenar Viejo minute by minute
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About Colmenar Viejo
Colmenar Viejo is a municipality in the province of Madrid, situated on the southern slope of the Guadarrama mountain range at 889 meters elevation. With roughly 43,700 inhabitants, it is part of Madrid's northern metropolitan area and retains the distinctive urban-rural character typical of the mountainous towns surrounding the capital. Its elevated position gives it an atmosphere noticeably cooler than central Madrid, along with clear views down toward the Manzanares valley.
For this eclipse
On August 12, 2026, Colmenar Viejo lies within the path of totality: the Sun will be completely obscured by the Moon at approximately 20:31 local time. At that moment totality will be visible as long as the western horizon is clear, since the Sun will stand just 7.4° above the horizon with a 5.8° margin above the local topographic profile. It is essential to find an elevated vantage point with an unobstructed view toward the northwest to witness the final contact of totality.
The weather in August
August in Colmenar Viejo records average temperatures of 23.7 °C—highs around 29.7 °C and lows of 17.6 °C—milder than central Madrid thanks to the altitude. Monthly precipitation is sparse (13.8 mm average), but the risk of afternoon thunderstorms is high: mountain convective storms can develop rapidly. The probability of clear skies is around 78 %, so mornings are typically bright, though afternoons warrant weather monitoring. Data: AEMET 1991–2020.
Past eclipses
The last total eclipse visible from Colmenar Viejo occurred on July 8, 1842, 184 years ago, lasting 81 seconds of totality. In October 2005 an annular eclipse occurred, covering 90.2 % of the solar disk for about 244 seconds. After the 2026 and 2028 eclipses, the next annular eclipse will not arrive until August 16, 2175; no total eclipse is predicted for this location before that date.
Direction and altitude of the Sun
At the moment of maximum eclipse, the Sun stands 7.4° above the horizon at an azimuth of 283°—almost due west-northwest, barely offset from true west. At that hour—20:31—the light already takes on the warm tone of late afternoon. The 5.8° margin above the local terrain means that the mountainous topography can interfere: from low areas or surrounded by woodland, totality may be hidden, while from higher, open ground visibility will be assured.
Editorial text by eclipses.app · Data: Wikidata, AEMET, NASA and JPL planetary ephemerides.
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The eclipse from Colmenar Viejo
In Colmenar Viejo, totality began at 20:32 local time and lasted 0 min 29 s, until 20:32. The eclipse maximum fell at 20:32.
In Colmenar Viejo, 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 12% 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 Colmenar Viejo
Local time · Europe/Madrid| Phase | Local time | UTC | Progress | Sun alt. | Sun az. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C1 — Partial begins | 19:36:21 | 17:36:21 UTC | +17.8° | 274.5° | |
| C2 — Totality begins | 20:31:51 | 18:31:51 UTC | +7.5° | 283.1° | |
| Maximum | 20:32:01 | 18:32:01 UTC | +7.5° | 283.2° | |
| C3 — Totality ends | 20:32:19 | 18:32:19 UTC | +7.4° | 283.3° | |
| The Sun sets behind the terrain(terrain event, not an eclipse phase) | 21:06 | 19:06 UTC | +1.5° | 288.6° | |
| C4 — Partial endsnot visible | 21:24:12 | 19:24:12 UTC | -1.4° | 291.6° |
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).
Location
- Latitude
- 40.6591° N
- Longitude
- 3.7676° W
- Elevation
- 889 m
Eclipse phases
- Eclipse begins
- 19:36:21
- Totality begins
- 20:31:51
- Maximum
- 20:32:01
- Totality ends
- 20:32:19
- Eclipse ends
- 21:24:12
- Sunset (flat horizon)
- 21:16:51
Duration
- Eclipse
- 1h 47m 51s
- Totality
- 29s
Values at maximum
- Obscuration
- 100%
- Sun altitude
- +7.5°
- Sun azimuth
- 283.2°
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Sun direction and altitude at maximum
It was toward WNW (283.2°)
283.2° WNW
Azimuth at maximum
7.48°
Sun altitude at maximum
1.44°
Terrain horizon
+5.97°
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 Colmenar Viejo
| Peak | Elevation | Distance | Azimuth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cabeza de Hierro Mayor | 2383 m | 20.9 km | 318° NW |
| Cabeza de Hierro Menor | 2376 m | 20.9 km | 317° NW |
| Cerro de Valdemartín | 2282 m | 22.1 km | 312° NW |
| Alto de las Guarramillas (Bola del Mundo) | 2265 m | 22.7 km | 308° NW |
| Asomate de Hoyos | 2242 m | 19.0 km | 329° NNW |
| Loma de Pandasco | 2238 m | 20.0 km | 323° NW |
| Navahondilla | 2234 m | 19.3 km | 329° NNW |
| La MaliciosaIn the Sun's direction | 2227 m | 20.8 km | 305° NW |
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The August sky
Avg. temp.
23.7°C
Max / min
29.7° / 17.6°
Precipitation
13.8 mm
Storm risk
High
Station COLMENAR VIEJO, 4 km away · Period 1991-2020 · Source: AEMET
12%Historical average cloud cover
P25 — clearer days · 0%Median cloud cover · 12%P75 — cloudier days · 46%
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 Colmenar Viejo
- Last total eclipseAugust 12, 20260 years ago
- Last annular eclipseOctober 3, 200521 years ago
- Next annular eclipseAugust 16, 2175
Solar eclipses computed from astronomical ephemerides for the city's coordinates.
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Frequently asked questions about the eclipse in Colmenar Viejo
Was the eclipse of August 12, 2026 visible from Colmenar Viejo?
Yes — Colmenar Viejo was inside the totality path and the horizon allowed the total phase to be fully visible.
What time was the eclipse maximum in Colmenar Viejo?
Maximum occurred at 20:32 local time (18:32 UTC) in Colmenar Viejo.
Which direction was the Sun in during the eclipse from Colmenar Viejo?
The Sun was toward the WNW (azimuth 283°), 7° above the horizon at maximum from Colmenar Viejo.
How long did totality last in Colmenar Viejo?
Totality lasted 0 min 29 s in Colmenar Viejo (C2 to C3). (corrected for the Moon's limb profile)
Was Colmenar Viejo a good place to watch the eclipse?
Colmenar Viejo 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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