Eclipse 12 Aug 2026 · 20:36
Lorca
37.671°, -1.702° · 339 m a.s.l.
98% of the Sun covered at maximum
Hidden by terrain · score 39/100 Sun at +4° · 285° WNW
Local terrain rises 4.03° above the Sun at peak.
Partial eclipse · 98% obscuration
LORCA · 37.671° N -1.702° W
Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Fjc assumed (based on copyright claims). · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
In Lorca, the Moon covered 98% of the Sun.
At 20:36 local time, the Moon took a bite out of the Sun over Lorca, covering up to 98% 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 52/ 100
Marginal visibility — depends on fine horizon
See the eclipse from Lorca minute by minute
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About Lorca
Lorca is a municipality in the Region of Murcia, located in the southeast of the Iberian Peninsula, 339 metres above sea level. With nearly 93,000 inhabitants, it is one of Spain's largest municipalities by area. Its territory spans sierras, valleys and plains in a semiarid environment characteristic of the Segura basin. Administratively, it belongs to the province of Murcia, in the southeastern quadrant of the Peninsula.
For this eclipse
During the partial eclipse on 12 August 2026, the Moon will cover a portion of the solar disc visible from Lorca. However, at the moment of maximum, at 20:35 h, the Sun will be barely 4.5° above the geometric horizon, and the topographic horizon will slightly exceed it: the calculated margin is −0.8°. This means that the surrounding landscape could block the Sun at the precise moment of maximum, depending on the exact observation point.
The weather in August
August is the warmest month of the year in Lorca. AEMET data (1991–2020 period) places the average temperature at 27 °C, with typical highs of 34 °C and lows of 20 °C. Average monthly precipitation is scarce, at just 8.9 mm, and the risk of thunderstorms is low. The semiarid climate of the southeastern Peninsula promotes a dry and stable August, although intense heat during the central hours of the day is the norm.
Past eclipses
The last total eclipse visible from Lorca occurred on 12 May 1706, some 320 years ago; totality lasted approximately 3 minutes and 34 seconds. After the eclipses of 2026 and 2028, one must wait until 20 June 2327 to witness another total eclipse from the city. Before that date, an annular eclipse will occur on 13 July 2075, covering just over 87% of the solar disc.
Direction and altitude of the Sun
At the moment of maximum eclipse, on 12 August 2026 at 20:35 h, the Sun will be 4.5° above the horizon with an azimuth of 285°, nearly due west with a slight inclination towards the northwest. At such a low altitude, any obstruction in that direction —a mountain range, a building or a slope— can interrupt the line of sight to the Sun and affect the observation of the phenomenon.
Editorial text by eclipses.app · Data: Wikidata, AEMET, NASA and JPL planetary ephemerides.
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The eclipse from Lorca
In Lorca, the eclipse reached its maximum at 20:36 local time, with 98% of the Sun covered by the Moon.
In Lorca, the Sun was 4° above the horizon, toward the WNW. But local terrain blocked the Sun before the eclipse ended: a nearby viewpoint with a clear horizon would have worked better.
This area typically sees around 7% 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 Lorca
Local time · Europe/Madrid| Phase | Local time | UTC | Progress | Sun alt. | Sun az. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C1 — Partial begins | 19:41:31 | 17:41:31 UTC | +15.0° | 277.4° | |
| The Sun sets behind the terrain(terrain event, not an eclipse phase) | 20:18 | 18:18 UTC | +7.8° | 282.8° | |
| Maximumnot visible | 20:36:08 | 18:36:08 UTC | +4.5° | 285.4° | |
| C4 — Partial endsnot visible | 21:27:20 | 19:27:20 UTC | -4.7° | 293.3° |
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
- 37.6712° N
- Longitude
- 1.7017° W
- Elevation
- 339 m
Eclipse phases
- Eclipse begins
- 19:41:31
- Maximum
- 20:36:08
- Eclipse ends
- 21:27:20
- Sunset (flat horizon)
- 21:03:10
Duration
- Eclipse
- 1h 45m 49s
Values at maximum
- Obscuration
- 98%
- Sun altitude
- +4.5°
- Sun azimuth
- 285.4°
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Sun direction and altitude at maximum
It was toward WNW (285.4°)
285.4° WNW
Azimuth at maximum
4.48°
Sun altitude at maximum
8.51°
Terrain horizon
-4.03°
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 Lorca
| Peak | Elevation | Distance | Azimuth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cerro Espuña | 1583 m | 24.1 km | 27° NNE |
| Poyos de Pedro López | 1568 m | 23.0 km | 23° NNE |
| Peña Soleada | 1514 m | 23.8 km | 28° NNE |
| Pinos Blancos | 1512 m | 24.7 km | 25° NNE |
| Cerro de Ponce | 1443 m | 24.8 km | 357° N |
| Cejo de La Ventanica | 1423 m | 22.9 km | 19° NNE |
| Peña Apartada | 1406 m | 23.3 km | 32° NNE |
| Cerro de las Cabras | 1356 m | 21.7 km | 23° NNE |
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The August sky
Avg. temp.
27°C
Max / min
34° / 20°
Precipitation
8.9 mm
Storm risk
Low
Station LORCA, 2 km away · Period 1991-2020 · Source: AEMET
7%Historical average cloud cover
P25 — clearer days · 0%Median cloud cover · 7%P75 — cloudier days · 27%
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 Lorca
- 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 Lorca
Was the eclipse of August 12, 2026 visible from Lorca?
Geometrically yes (98% obscuration), but the local terrain blocked the Sun before the eclipse ended from Lorca.
What time was the eclipse maximum in Lorca?
Maximum occurred at 20:36 local time (18:36 UTC) in Lorca.
Which direction was the Sun in during the eclipse from Lorca?
The Sun was toward the WNW (azimuth 285°), 4° above the horizon at maximum from Lorca.
Was Lorca a good place to watch the eclipse?
Lorca was not the best choice: local terrain blocked the Sun before the eclipse ended. A nearby viewpoint with a clear horizon would have offered a better view.
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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