Eclipse 12 Aug 2026 · 20:38
El Ejido
36.776°, -2.815° · 84 m a.s.l.
96% of the Sun covered at maximum
Marginal · score 40/100 Sun at +5° · 285° WNW
Marginal: only 0.05° between the Sun and the local skyline at peak.
Partial eclipse · 96% obscuration
EL EJIDO · 36.776° N -2.815° W
Photo: kallerna · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
In El Ejido, the Moon covered 96% of the Sun.
At 20:38 local time, the Moon took a bite out of the Sun over El Ejido, covering up to 96% 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 92/ 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 43/ 100
Eclipse visible
See the eclipse from El Ejido minute by minute
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About El Ejido
El Ejido is a municipality in the province of Almería, Andalusia, with approximately 84,700 inhabitants and an altitude of 84 metres above sea level. Situated in the Poniente Almeriense region, it occupies an extensive coastal plain west of the provincial capital, characterised by its agricultural landscape of greenhouses. Its semi-arid Mediterranean climate, with mild winters and very hot and dry summers, shapes both economic activity and conditions for astronomical observation.
For this eclipse
On 12 August 2026, El Ejido will experience a partial solar eclipse with its maximum occurring at 20:37 local time. At that moment the Sun will be only 4.8° above the geometric horizon and the margin against topographic relief is just 1.1°, making the observation marginal: any obstacle to the west-northwest—buildings, vegetation or even a slight rise in the terrain—could prevent seeing the maximum. It is essential to position yourself at a point with a completely clear western horizon.
The weather in August
August in El Ejido is the hottest and driest month of the year. AEMET data from the 1991-2020 period records an average temperature of 27.6 °C, with maxima reaching 32.4 °C and minima rarely dropping below 22.7 °C. Average monthly precipitation is just 4.7 mm, and the risk of storms is low, a characteristic of the semi-arid climate of Almería. These conditions favour stable skies during August afternoons.
Past eclipses
The last total eclipse visible from El Ejido occurred on 22 December 1870, 156 years ago; the city was at the extreme edge of the path of totality, so the duration was virtually nil. There is no record of a recent annular eclipse at this location. After the eclipses of 2026–2028, one must wait until 13 July 2075 for an annular eclipse with a coverage of 87.2 %, and until 20 June 2327 for a new total eclipse.
Direction and altitude of the Sun
At the moment of maximum eclipse, 20:37 local time, the Sun is located at azimuth 285°, that is, almost due west-northwest. Its altitude above the horizon is just 4.8°, equivalent to just under ten solar diameters above the geometric horizon line. At that time the Sun is already beginning its descent towards sunset, so the observation requires a location with direct and unobstructed view in that direction.
Editorial text by eclipses.app · Data: Wikidata, AEMET, NASA and JPL planetary ephemerides.
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The eclipse from El Ejido
In El Ejido, the eclipse reached its maximum at 20:38 local time, with 96% of the Sun covered by the Moon.
In El Ejido, the Sun was 5° above the horizon, toward the WNW. It sat right at the edge of the horizon: even a small nearby obstacle could have blocked it.
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 El Ejido
Local time · Europe/Madrid| Phase | Local time | UTC | Progress | Sun alt. | Sun az. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C1 — Partial begins | 19:43:04 | 17:43:04 UTC | +15.4° | 277.2° | |
| The Sun sets behind the terrain(terrain event, not an eclipse phase) | 20:38 | 18:38 UTC | +4.8° | 285.0° | |
| Maximum | 20:37:48 | 18:37:48 UTC | +4.8° | 285.0° | |
| C4 — Partial endsnot visible | 21:29:04 | 19:29:04 UTC | -4.5° | 292.7° |
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
- 36.7763° N
- Longitude
- 2.8146° W
- Elevation
- 84 m
Eclipse phases
- Eclipse begins
- 19:43:04
- Maximum
- 20:37:48
- Eclipse ends
- 21:29:04
- Sunset (flat horizon)
- 21:06:07
Duration
- Eclipse
- 1h 45m 59s
Values at maximum
- Obscuration
- 96%
- Sun altitude
- +4.8°
- Sun azimuth
- 285.0°
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Sun direction and altitude at maximum
It was toward WNW (285.0°)
285.0° WNW
Azimuth at maximum
4.77°
Sun altitude at maximum
4.81°
Terrain horizon
-0.05°
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 El Ejido
| Peak | Elevation | Distance | Azimuth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morrón de la Lagunilla | 2249 m | 14.1 km | 355° N |
| Morrón Bandera | 2236 m | 14.6 km | 352° N |
| Morrón (excéntrica Norte) | 2228 m | 14.6 km | 353° N |
| Morrón (excéntrica Sur) | 2214 m | 14.1 km | 351° N |
| Morrón de la Parra | 2134 m | 17.2 km | 349° N |
| Colorados | 2133 m | 17.3 km | 347° NNW |
| Punta de los Pájaros | 2115 m | 15.1 km | 356° N |
| Nuevo Mundo | 2113 m | 11.6 km | 6° N |
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The August sky
Avg. temp.
27.6°C
Max / min
32.4° / 22.7°
Precipitation
4.7 mm
Storm risk
Low
Station EL EJIDO, 0 km away · Period 1991-2020 · Source: AEMET
1%Historical average cloud cover
P25 — clearer days · 0%Median cloud cover · 1%P75 — cloudier days · 6%
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 El Ejido
- Last total eclipseDecember 22, 1870156 years ago
- Next total eclipseJune 20, 2327
- 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 El Ejido
Was the eclipse of August 12, 2026 visible from El Ejido?
Yes, but marginally: with 96% obscuration, the topographic horizon from El Ejido was very close to the Sun's altitude at the end.
What time was the eclipse maximum in El Ejido?
Maximum occurred at 20:37 local time (18:37 UTC) in El Ejido.
Which direction was the Sun in during the eclipse from El Ejido?
The Sun was toward the WNW (azimuth 285°), 5° above the horizon at maximum from El Ejido.
Was El Ejido a good place to watch the eclipse?
El Ejido could see the eclipse with limitations (score 40/100): 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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