Eclipse 12 Aug 2026 · 20:32
Madrid
40.416°, -3.703° · 665 m a.s.l.
99.9% of the Sun covered at maximum
Visible · score 50/100 Sun at +7° · 283° WNW
The Sun clears local terrain by 6.84° at peak.
Partial eclipse · 99.9% obscuration
MADRID · 40.416° N -3.703° W
Photo: Dmitry Dzhus from London · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
In Madrid, the Moon covered 99.9% of the Sun.
At 20:32 local time, the Moon took a bite out of the Sun over Madrid, covering up to 99.9% 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 43/ 100
Eclipse visible
See the eclipse from Madrid minute by minute
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About Madrid
Madrid is the capital of Spain and of its autonomous community, and with over three million inhabitants the most populous city in the country. It sits at the centre of the Iberian Peninsula, on the central plateau, at around 650 metres above sea level. That inland position, far from the coast, shapes both its continental climate and the conditions for observing the night sky and astronomical events.
For this eclipse
On 12 August 2026, Madrid will see a partial solar eclipse. The city lies outside the path of totality, which crosses northern Spain, although the fraction of the solar disc covered will be considerable. The eclipse occurs with the Sun already low, in the late afternoon, so it is worth choosing an open spot facing west so as not to miss the maximum phase.
The weather in August
In August, Madrid records an average temperature of 25.7 °C, with highs around 32 °C and lows near 19 °C. Rainfall is scarce, about 10 mm of monthly average, according to AEMET data for the 1991-2020 period. The risk of an afternoon thunderstorm is moderate, a factor to watch on the evening of the eclipse.
Past eclipses
The last total solar eclipse visible from Madrid took place on 8 July 1842, 184 years ago. More recent was the annular eclipse of 3 October 2005. After the eclipses of 2026, 2027 and 2028, no further totality over Madrid is expected within the computed horizon; the next annular eclipse will arrive on 8 December 2113.
Direction and altitude of the Sun
During the maximum of the eclipse, the Sun will be towards the west-northwest, at about 283° of azimuth, and just 7° above the horizon. That is a low altitude: buildings, trees or terrain in that direction can block the view. To follow the eclipse, an open, elevated spot facing west is advisable.
Editorial text by eclipses.app · Data: Wikidata, AEMET, NASA and JPL planetary ephemerides.
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The eclipse from Madrid
In Madrid, the eclipse reached its maximum at 20:32 local time, with 99.9% of the Sun covered by the Moon.
In Madrid, 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 13% 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 Madrid
Local time · Europe/Madrid| Phase | Local time | UTC | Progress | Sun alt. | Sun az. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C1 — Partial begins | 19:36:46 | 17:36:46 UTC | +17.7° | 274.7° | |
| Maximum | 20:32:23 | 18:32:23 UTC | +7.3° | 283.3° | |
| The Sun sets behind the terrain(terrain event, not an eclipse phase) | 21:09 | 19:09 UTC | +0.9° | 289.2° | |
| C4 — Partial endsnot visible | 21:24:31 | 19:24:31 UTC | -1.6° | 291.7° |
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
- 40.4165° N
- Longitude
- 3.7026° W
- Elevation
- 665 m
Eclipse phases
- Eclipse begins
- 19:36:46
- Maximum
- 20:32:23
- Eclipse ends
- 21:24:31
- Sunset (flat horizon)
- 21:16:11
Duration
- Eclipse
- 1h 47m 44s
Values at maximum
- Obscuration
- 99.9%
- Sun altitude
- +7.3°
- Sun azimuth
- 283.3°
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Sun direction and altitude at maximum
It was toward WNW (283.3°)
283.3° WNW
Azimuth at maximum
7.31°
Sun altitude at maximum
0.47°
Terrain horizon
+6.84°
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 Madrid
| Peak | Elevation | Distance | Azimuth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alto de Peñalvento | 819 m | 24.7 km | 342° NNW |
| Portillera de Almaján | 818.7 m | 22.9 km | 329° NNW |
| Alto de la Cabezuela | 763 m | 24.1 km | 357° N |
| Cerro de la PorraIn the Sun's direction | 759 m | 24.7 km | 306° NW |
| La IsabelaIn the Sun's direction | 757 m | 24.9 km | 305° NW |
| Cerro del Castillo | 749 m | 24.1 km | 43° NE |
| Torrelaparada | 746.1 m | 14.9 km | 343° NNW |
| Cerro Almodóvar | 726 m | 9.5 km | 111° ESE |
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The August sky
Avg. temp.
25.7°C
Max / min
32° / 19.3°
Precipitation
10.4 mm
Storm risk
Medium
Station MADRID, RETIRO, 2 km away · Period 1991-2020 · Source: AEMET
13%Historical average cloud cover
P25 — clearer days · 0%Median cloud cover · 13%P75 — cloudier days · 44%
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 Madrid
- Last total eclipseJuly 8, 1842184 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 Madrid
Was the eclipse of August 12, 2026 visible from Madrid?
Yes, partial eclipse: the Sun was 99.9% covered at maximum from Madrid.
What time was the eclipse maximum in Madrid?
Maximum occurred at 20:32 local time (18:32 UTC) in Madrid.
Which direction was the Sun in during the eclipse from Madrid?
The Sun was toward the WNW (azimuth 283°), 7° above the horizon at maximum from Madrid.
Was Madrid a good place to watch the eclipse?
Madrid 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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