Eclipse 12 Aug 2026 · 20:38
Nerja
36.753°, -3.874° · 51 m a.s.l.
95% of the Sun covered at maximum
Visible · score 45/100 Sun at +5° · 284° WNW
The Sun clears local terrain by 1.71° at peak.
Partial eclipse · 95% obscuration
NERJA · 36.753° N -3.874° W
Photo: kallerna · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
In Nerja, the Moon covered 95% of the Sun.
At 20:38 local time, the Moon took a bite out of the Sun over Nerja, 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 94/ 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 77/ 100
Full ring visible
See the eclipse from Nerja minute by minute
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About Nerja
Nerja is a coastal municipality in the province of Málaga, in Andalusia, situated 51 meters above sea level in the easternmost stretch of the Costa del Sol. With just over 21,800 inhabitants, the town extends across a front of cliffs and coves descending to the Mediterranean Sea. Between the Almijara mountain range and the coastline, Nerja enjoys a broad marine horizon especially toward the south and west, a notable advantage for astronomical observations in the evening.
For this eclipse
On August 12, 2026, Nerja will witness a partial solar eclipse. Maximum obscuration will occur at 20:37 local time, with the Moon covering a notable fraction of the solar disk. At that instant the Sun will be very low on the horizon, at barely 5.5 degrees altitude, so a clear line of sight toward the west-northwest will be essential. The celestial body will exceed the topographic horizon by 4.1 degrees, meaning that from unobstructed locations the eclipse will be perfectly visible.
The weather in August
According to AEMET climate data for the period 1991-2020, August in Nerja is warm and very dry. The average monthly temperature is around 26°C, with highs close to 30°C and overnight lows around 22°C. August precipitation averages just 2.3 mm, and the risk of storms is low. All of this suggests that mid-August afternoons offer, in statistical terms, favorable conditions for sky observation in the time window when the eclipse will take place.
Past eclipses
The last total eclipse visible from Nerja took place on December 22, 1870, some 156 years ago, with totality lasting approximately 95 seconds. After the 2026 eclipse and those following through 2028, the next opportunity to see an annular eclipse from here will come on July 13, 2075, while we will have to wait until June 20, 2327 for a total eclipse to once again completely darken the Sun over Nerja. The August 2026 event is, in that context, a generational occurrence.
Direction and altitude of the Sun
At maximum, at 20:37, the Sun will occupy the west-northwest direction, with an azimuth of 284 degrees and an altitude of only 5.5 degrees above the horizon. That position corresponds to looking toward sunset, practically at the threshold of the marine horizon's visibility. To follow the eclipse without obstruction, it is advisable to position oneself in a place with a clear view to the west, ideally in front of the sea or on a coastal promontory without buildings in that quadrant.
Editorial text by eclipses.app · Data: Wikidata, AEMET, NASA and JPL planetary ephemerides.
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The eclipse from Nerja
In Nerja, the eclipse reached its maximum at 20:38 local time, with 95% of the Sun covered by the Moon.
In Nerja, the Sun was 5° 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 Nerja
Local time · Europe/Madrid| Phase | Local time | UTC | Progress | Sun alt. | Sun az. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C1 — Partial begins | 19:43:07 | 17:43:07 UTC | +16.2° | 276.6° | |
| Maximum | 20:38:08 | 18:38:08 UTC | +5.5° | 284.5° | |
| The Sun sets behind the terrain(terrain event, not an eclipse phase) | 20:47 | 18:47 UTC | +3.8° | 285.8° | |
| C4 — Partial endsnot visible | 21:29:36 | 19:29:36 UTC | -3.8° | 292.2° |
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
- 36.7528° N
- Longitude
- 3.8744° W
- Elevation
- 51 m
Eclipse phases
- Eclipse begins
- 19:43:07
- Maximum
- 20:38:08
- Eclipse ends
- 21:29:36
- Sunset (flat horizon)
- 21:10:19
Duration
- Eclipse
- 1h 46m 29s
Values at maximum
- Obscuration
- 95%
- Sun altitude
- +5.5°
- Sun azimuth
- 284.5°
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Sun direction and altitude at maximum
It was toward WNW (284.5°)
284.5° WNW
Azimuth at maximum
5.50°
Sun altitude at maximum
3.79°
Terrain horizon
+1.71°
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 Nerja
| Peak | Elevation | Distance | Azimuth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cima de Tejeda | 2069 m | 22.3 km | 319° NW |
| Maroma | 2069 m | 22.6 km | 318° NW |
| Cerro del Sol | 2068 m | 22.2 km | 320° NW |
| Mojón de tres Términos | 2065 m | 22.5 km | 318° NW |
| Cerro Tacita de Plata | 1893 m | 21.3 km | 321° NW |
| Cerro del Selladero | 1836 m | 23.5 km | 321° NW |
| Navachica | 1831 m | 11.2 km | 28° NNE |
| Cerro del Tojo Fuerte | 1830 m | 24.4 km | 317° NW |
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The August sky
Avg. temp.
26°C
Max / min
29.9° / 22.1°
Precipitation
2.3 mm
Storm risk
Low
Station NERJA, 3 km away · Period 1991-2020 · Source: AEMET
0%Historical average cloud cover
P25 — clearer days · 0%Median cloud cover · 0%P75 — cloudier days · 2%
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 Nerja
- 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 Nerja
Was the eclipse of August 12, 2026 visible from Nerja?
Yes, partial eclipse: the Sun was 95% covered at maximum from Nerja.
What time was the eclipse maximum in Nerja?
Maximum occurred at 20:38 local time (18:38 UTC) in Nerja.
Which direction was the Sun in during the eclipse from Nerja?
The Sun was toward the WNW (azimuth 284°), 5° above the horizon at maximum from Nerja.
Was Nerja a good place to watch the eclipse?
Nerja could see the eclipse with limitations (score 45/100): 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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