Eclipse 12 Aug 2026 · 20:35
Novelda
38.385°, -0.768° · 247 m a.s.l.
99% of the Sun covered at maximum
Marginal · score 40/100 Sun at +4° · 286° WNW
Marginal: only 0.23° between the Sun and the local skyline at peak.
Partial eclipse · 99% obscuration
NOVELDA · 38.385° N -0.768° W
Photo: cesar.ruiz · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
In Novelda, the Moon covered 99% of the Sun.
At 20:35 local time, the Moon took a bite out of the Sun over Novelda, covering up to 99% 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 56/ 100
Marginal visibility — depends on fine horizon
See the eclipse from Novelda minute by minute
Compare locations, save your plan and enable cloud alerts.
About Novelda
Novelda is a municipality in the province of Alicante, in the Valencian Community, situated at 247 metres above sea level. With around 27,000 inhabitants, the city ranks among the medium-sized towns of inland Alicante. It sits in a landscape characteristic of southeastern Spain, where moderate relief and a dry Mediterranean climate define the environment: summers of intense sunshine, scarce rainfall, and the distinctive luminosity of the province's inland belt.
For this eclipse
On 12 August 2026, Novelda will experience a partial solar eclipse. The moment of maximum coverage will occur at 20:34 (local time), with the Sun positioned 2.2 degrees above the local horizon—a sufficient margin for the phenomenon to be visible without natural obstruction. The solar disc will not be completely covered, but the obscured fraction will be perceptible with an approved eclipse filter. It is advisable to position yourself at a spot with a clear western horizon and wear eclipse glasses throughout the observation.
The weather in August
AEMET records for the period 1991–2020 show that Novelda carries a low risk of thunderstorms during August. Although the reference weather station does not provide temperature or precipitation figures, the sparse summer storm activity is a useful indicator for observation: it suggests that August skies tend to remain stable, without the convective cloud developments that in other parts of Spain can interrupt the tracking of the solar phenomenon.
Past eclipses
The last total eclipse visible from Novelda occurred on 28 May 1900, 126 years ago, with a totality of just 79 seconds. More recently, on 3 October 2005, the city witnessed an annular eclipse with an obscuration of 90.4 % of the solar disc and a duration of 144 seconds—an event that many middle-aged residents still remember. After the eclipses of 2026 and 2028, one must wait until 13 July 2075 for the next annular eclipse from this location.
Direction and altitude of the Sun
At the moment of maximum eclipse, at 20:34 on 12 August 2026, the Sun will be at only 4.3 degrees of altitude above the horizon and in a direction of 286 degrees of azimuth, equivalent to west-northwest. It is a very low position, close to sunset. To make the most of the view with confidence, position yourself at a spot with the western horizon completely clear of obstructions. The margin of 2.2 degrees above the local horizon confirms that the phenomenon will be visible from Novelda.
Editorial text by eclipses.app · Data: Wikidata, AEMET, NASA and JPL planetary ephemerides.
01
The eclipse from Novelda
In Novelda, the eclipse reached its maximum at 20:35 local time, with 99% of the Sun covered by the Moon.
In Novelda, the Sun was 4° 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 7% median cloud cover at that hour, based on ten years of historical data — not a forecast for this specific eclipse.
02
Take this data to your site
Embed this eclipse on your site
Generate the code to embed the eclipse widget on your hotel, town hall or blog website.
<iframe src="https://eclipses.app/embed/widget?lat=38.3848&lon=-0.7677&size=standard&theme=dark&locale=en" width="320" height="340" frameborder="0" loading="lazy" title="Eclipse 2026"></iframe>03
Don't miss it
04
Eclipse schedule in Novelda
Local time · Europe/Madrid| Phase | Local time | UTC | Progress | Sun alt. | Sun az. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C1 — Partial begins | 19:40:16 | 17:40:16 UTC | +14.6° | 277.6° | |
| Maximum | 20:34:46 | 18:34:46 UTC | +4.2° | 285.7° | |
| The Sun sets behind the terrain(terrain event, not an eclipse phase) | 20:36 | 18:36 UTC | +4.0° | 285.9° | |
| C4 — Partial endsnot visible | 21:25:55 | 19:25:55 UTC | -4.8° | 293.7° |
Phases marked with ⛰️ were not seen: the Sun was already hidden behind the real terrain at that moment.
05
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
- 38.3848° N
- Longitude
- 0.7677° W
- Elevation
- 247 m
Eclipse phases
- Eclipse begins
- 19:40:16
- Maximum
- 20:34:46
- Eclipse ends
- 21:25:55
- Sunset (flat horizon)
- 21:00:45
Duration
- Eclipse
- 1h 45m 38s
Values at maximum
- Obscuration
- 99%
- Sun altitude
- +4.2°
- Sun azimuth
- 285.7°
06
Sun direction and altitude at maximum
It was toward WNW (285.7°)
285.7° WNW
Azimuth at maximum
4.22°
Sun altitude at maximum
3.99°
Terrain horizon
+0.23°
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 Novelda
| Peak | Elevation | Distance | Azimuth |
|---|---|---|---|
| el Maigmó | 1296 m | 17.6 km | 42° NE |
| Despenyador | 1261 m | 18.5 km | 27° NNE |
| Alt de Guisop | 1249 m | 17.1 km | 35° NE |
| Alt del Carrascalet | 1245 m | 18.4 km | 29° NNE |
| Les Planisses | 1241 m | 18.0 km | 30° NNE |
| Alto de la Capilla del FraileIn the Sun's direction | 1238 m | 24.8 km | 300° WNW |
| la Replana | 1229.4 m | 20.9 km | 9° N |
| Maigmonet | 1182 m | 17.6 km | 41° NE |
07
The August sky
7%Historical average cloud cover
P25 — clearer days · 0%Median cloud cover · 7%P75 — cloudier days · 39%
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 Novelda
- Last total eclipseMay 28, 1900126 years ago
- Last annular eclipseOctober 3, 200521 years ago
- Next annular eclipseJuly 13, 2075
Solar eclipses computed from astronomical ephemerides for the city's coordinates.
08
Frequently asked questions about the eclipse in Novelda
Was the eclipse of August 12, 2026 visible from Novelda?
Yes, but marginally: with 99% obscuration, the topographic horizon from Novelda was very close to the Sun's altitude at the end.
What time was the eclipse maximum in Novelda?
Maximum occurred at 20:34 local time (18:34 UTC) in Novelda.
Which direction was the Sun in during the eclipse from Novelda?
The Sun was toward the WNW (azimuth 286°), 4° above the horizon at maximum from Novelda.
Was Novelda a good place to watch the eclipse?
Novelda 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.
09