Eclipse 12 Aug 2026 · 20:38
Loja
37.169°, -4.151° · 453 m a.s.l.
95% of the Sun covered at maximum
Visible · score 50/100 Sun at +6° · 284° WNW
The Sun clears local terrain by 3.85° at peak.
Partial eclipse · 95% obscuration
LOJA · 37.169° N -4.151° W
Photo: Menesteo · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
In Loja, the Moon covered 95% of the Sun.
At 20:38 local time, the Moon took a bite out of the Sun over Loja, covering up to 95% 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 50/ 100
Blocked by terrain
See the eclipse from Loja minute by minute
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About Loja
Loja is a municipality in the province of Granada, in Andalusia, situated at 453 metres elevation in the basin of the Genil river, in the natural corridor connecting the Granada plain to the Antequera region. With a population of around 21,574 inhabitants, the city nestles between the foothills of the Subbética and Penibética ranges, surrounded by reliefs that shape both its landscape and microclimate. Its inland position gives it a continental Mediterranean character with pronounced thermal differences between seasons.
For this eclipse
On 12 August 2026, Loja will witness a partial solar eclipse that reaches its maximum at 20:37, local time. At that moment the Sun will be just 5.9 degrees above the horizon, with an azimuth of 284 degrees, placing it to the west-northwest. The margin above the topographic horizon is 4.7 degrees, sufficient for the solar disc to be visible, though its low altitude demands a clear horizon in that direction to enjoy the phenomenon without obstruction.
The weather in August
In August, Loja records on average just 4.5 millimetres of precipitation, according to AEMET station 5582A data for the period 1991–2020. The risk of storms is low, making the month one of the most stable of the year in the area. Although temperature records from this station are not fully available, Loja's geographic position in the interior of Granada province points to warm afternoons typical of continental Mediterranean summer, without the moderating influence of the sea.
Past eclipses
The last total solar eclipse visible from Loja took place on 12 May 1706, more than three centuries ago. Since then, no umbral cone has crossed these skies again. Following the eclipses of 2026, 2027 and 2028, the next reachable annular occurrence from the city will not arrive until 13 July 2075, while one must wait until 20 June 2327 for a new total eclipse to darken the Sun completely over Loja.
Direction and altitude of the Sun
At the moment of maximum eclipse phase, the Sun is positioned at 284 degrees azimuth and 5.9 degrees above the horizon, at a point corresponding to west-northwest. Observers from Loja should face that quadrant to follow the phenomenon. The low solar altitude means that any landscape element in that direction—a hill, a building, a grove—can block the view before the maximum phase even concludes.
Editorial text by eclipses.app · Data: Wikidata, AEMET, NASA and JPL planetary ephemerides.
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The eclipse from Loja
In Loja, the eclipse reached its maximum at 20:38 local time, with 95% of the Sun covered by the Moon.
In Loja, the Sun was 6° above the horizon, toward the WNW. Even so, a clear horizon toward the WNW helped.
This area typically sees around 0% 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 Loja
Local time · Europe/Madrid| Phase | Local time | UTC | Progress | Sun alt. | Sun az. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C1 — Partial begins | 19:42:25 | 17:42:25 UTC | +16.6° | 276.2° | |
| Maximum | 20:37:34 | 18:37:34 UTC | +5.9° | 284.2° | |
| The Sun sets behind the terrain(terrain event, not an eclipse phase) | 20:59 | 18:59 UTC | +2.0° | 287.3° | |
| C4 — Partial endsnot visible | 21:29:11 | 19:29:11 UTC | -3.4° | 292.0° |
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
- 37.1689° N
- Longitude
- 4.1513° W
- Elevation
- 453 m
Eclipse phases
- Eclipse begins
- 19:42:25
- Maximum
- 20:37:34
- Eclipse ends
- 21:29:11
- Sunset (flat horizon)
- 21:12:02
Duration
- Eclipse
- 1h 46m 47s
Values at maximum
- Obscuration
- 96%
- Sun altitude
- +5.9°
- Sun azimuth
- 284.2°
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Sun direction and altitude at maximum
It was toward WNW (284.2°)
284.2° WNW
Azimuth at maximum
5.92°
Sun altitude at maximum
2.06°
Terrain horizon
+3.85°
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 Loja
| Peak | Elevation | Distance | Azimuth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cerro de Santa Lucía | 1669 m | 13.9 km | 201° SSW |
| Cerro de las Cabras | 1642 m | 7.8 km | 186° S |
| Chamizo | 1641 m | 25.0 km | 214° SW |
| Cerro de Caballón | 1605 m | 16.3 km | 193° SSW |
| Cerro de los Frailes | 1604 m | 10.4 km | 190° S |
| Pico El Morrón | 1603 m | 24.9 km | 53° NE |
| Cerro del Jabalí o del Roble | 1588 m | 10.5 km | 181° S |
| Cerro de la Cruz | 1585 m | 9.4 km | 183° S |
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The August sky
0%Historical average cloud cover
P25 — clearer days · 0%Median cloud cover · 0%P75 — cloudier days · 4%
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 Loja
- Last total eclipseMay 12, 1706320 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 Loja
Was the eclipse of August 12, 2026 visible from Loja?
Yes, partial eclipse: the Sun was 95% covered at maximum from Loja.
What time was the eclipse maximum in Loja?
Maximum occurred at 20:37 local time (18:37 UTC) in Loja.
Which direction was the Sun in during the eclipse from Loja?
The Sun was toward the WNW (azimuth 284°), 6° above the horizon at maximum from Loja.
Was Loja a good place to watch the eclipse?
Loja 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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