Eclipse 12 Aug 2026 · 20:30
Ourense
42.337°, -7.864° · 146 m a.s.l.
99.8% of the Sun covered at maximum
Visible · score 50/100 Sun at +11° · 280° W
The Sun clears local terrain by 6.99° at peak.
Partial eclipse · 99.8% obscuration
OURENSE · 42.337° N -7.864° W
Photo: Victor Hermida Prada · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
In Ourense, the Moon covered 99.8% of the Sun.
At 20:30 local time, the Moon took a bite out of the Sun over Ourense, covering up to 99.8% 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 34/ 100
Eclipse visible
See the eclipse from Ourense minute by minute
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About Ourense
Ourense is the capital of its namesake province, in inland Galicia, 146 metres above sea level. The city sits in the Miño valley, surrounded by hills and known for its thermal spring outcrops. With just over 105,000 inhabitants, it is the main urban centre in the province and serves as a hub for services across an extensive rural hinterland. Its inland position sets it apart climatically from the Galician coast.
For this eclipse
On 12 August 2026, Ourense will experience a partial solar eclipse with maximum occurring at 20:29 local time. At that moment the Sun will stand 11.2° above the horizon, with a clearance of 8.9° from the actual topographic horizon—a substantial margin that rules out visibility problems from the surrounding terrain. As a partial eclipse, the solar disc will be partly covered by the Moon, but totality will not be reached.
The weather in August
August in Ourense shows a low risk of thunderstorms according to historical AEMET records, which is favourable for eclipse observation. The city's inland location, away from direct maritime influence, contributes to more stable conditions than those found on the Galician Atlantic coast during summer.
Past eclipses
The last major eclipse recorded over Ourense was the annular eclipse of 3 October 2005, over twenty years ago, when the Moon covered approximately 90% of the solar disc for nearly four minutes. Before that event, no total eclipse is recorded in the available records for this location. After the eclipses of 2026, 2027 and 2028, the next significant annular eclipse will not occur until 27 February 2082, and the following total eclipse until 26 October 2144.
Direction and altitude of the Sun
At the time of maximum eclipse, at 20:29, the Sun will be positioned at an azimuth of 280°, that is, almost due west with a slight deviation towards west-northwest. Its altitude above the horizon will be 11.2°, sufficient for unobstructed observation from most points in Ourense with a clear view towards that sector of the sky.
Editorial text by eclipses.app · Data: Wikidata, AEMET, NASA and JPL planetary ephemerides.
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The eclipse from Ourense
In Ourense, the eclipse reached its maximum at 20:30 local time, with 99.8% of the Sun covered by the Moon.
In Ourense, the Sun was 11° above the horizon, toward the West. With that much margin above the horizon, any spot with open sky worked.
This area typically sees around 1% 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 Ourense
Local time · Europe/Madrid| Phase | Local time | UTC | Progress | Sun alt. | Sun az. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C1 — Partial begins | 19:32:56 | 17:32:56 UTC | +21.6° | 270.7° | |
| Maximum | 20:30:00 | 18:30:00 UTC | +11.2° | 280.0° | |
| The Sun sets behind the terrain(terrain event, not an eclipse phase) | 21:08 | 19:08 UTC | +4.4° | 286.2° | |
| C4 — Partial endsnot visible | 21:23:23 | 19:23:23 UTC | +1.8° | 288.7° |
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).
Location
- Latitude
- 42.3367° N
- Longitude
- 7.8641° W
- Elevation
- 146 m
Eclipse phases
- Eclipse begins
- 19:32:56
- Maximum
- 20:30:00
- Eclipse ends
- 21:23:23
- Sunset (flat horizon)
- 21:36:49
Duration
- Eclipse
- 1h 50m 27s
Values at maximum
- Obscuration
- 99.9%
- Sun altitude
- +11.2°
- Sun azimuth
- 280.0°
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Sun direction and altitude at maximum
It was toward West (280.0°)
280.0° W
Azimuth at maximum
11.15°
Sun altitude at maximum
4.16°
Terrain horizon
+6.99°
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 Ourense
| Peak | Elevation | Distance | Azimuth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meda | 1316.3 m | 20.9 km | 86° E |
| O Alto da Cabeza da Meda | 1314 m | 20.9 km | 86° E |
| Porto dos Carros | 1166 m | 18.8 km | 82° E |
| Cerro Martiniana | 1034 m | 20.9 km | 344° NNW |
| Pena Ventosa | 1014 m | 21.6 km | 347° NNW |
| Alto do Rodicio | 949.9 m | 22.6 km | 100° E |
| A Madanela | 937 m | 24.7 km | 322° NW |
| Penamá | 927 m | 19.9 km | 168° SSE |
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The August sky
1%Historical average cloud cover
P25 — clearer days · 0%Median cloud cover · 1%P75 — cloudier days · 13%
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 Ourense
- Last annular eclipseOctober 3, 200521 years ago
- Next total eclipseOctober 26, 2144
- Next annular eclipseFebruary 27, 2082
Solar eclipses computed from astronomical ephemerides for the city's coordinates.
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Frequently asked questions about the eclipse in Ourense
Was the eclipse of August 12, 2026 visible from Ourense?
Yes, partial eclipse: the Sun was 99.8% covered at maximum from Ourense.
What time was the eclipse maximum in Ourense?
Maximum occurred at 20:30 local time (18:30 UTC) in Ourense.
Which direction was the Sun in during the eclipse from Ourense?
The Sun was toward the West (azimuth 280°), 11° above the horizon at maximum from Ourense.
Was Ourense a good place to watch the eclipse?
Ourense 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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