Eclipse 12 Aug 2026 · 20:28
Portugalete
43.321°, -3.021° · 49 m a.s.l.
0 min 17 s of night in broad daylight
Visible · score 70/100 Sun at +8° · 283° WNW
The Sun clears local terrain by 5.42° at C3.
Full totality was visible here. C3 — the end of totality — stayed above the horizon.
Total eclipse · 100% obscuration
C1 — Partial begins
19:32
☀ +18°
C2 — Totality begins
20:27
☀ +8°
Maximum
20:28
17s · 283° WNW
C4 — Partial ends
21:20
☀ -0°
PORTUGALETE · 43.321° N -3.021° W
Photo: Zarateman · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
In Portugalete, day turned to night for 0 min 17 s.
At 20:28 local time, the Moon fully covered the Sun over Portugalete. For 0 min 17 s, the sky darkened as if it were night, leaving the Sun as a ring of light around a black disc.
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 23/ 100
Blocked by terrain
See the eclipse from Portugalete minute by minute
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About Portugalete
Portugalete is a municipality in Biscay located on the banks of the Nervión estuary in the Basque Country. With some 45,800 inhabitants and standing just 49 metres above sea level, it occupies the left bank of the estuary opposite Getxo. Its compact urban fabric, forged since its founding in 1322, makes the town a long-established hub of industrial and maritime history along the Cantabrian arc.
For this eclipse
On 12 August 2026, Portugalete will lie within the path of totality of the solar eclipse. Maximum will occur at 20:27, when the Sun will have descended to just 8.3° above the horizon towards the west-northwest. The margin above the topographic horizon is 5.3°, so totality will be observable; however, it is advisable to clear your line of sight towards the west to avoid nearby buildings or hills obstructing the view.
The weather in August
August in Portugalete is mild and temperate: the average temperature hovers around 19.8 °C, with highs typically not exceeding 23.3 °C and lows not falling below 16.2 °C. The average precipitation for the month reaches 44.8 mm and the risk of thunderstorms is high, which makes planning for eclipse day something that deserves careful meteorological monitoring right up to the last moment. Data: AEMET (1991–2020).
Past eclipses
The last total eclipse visible from Portugalete occurred on 18 July 1860, 166 years ago, with totality lasting 164 seconds. Before that, on 1 April 1764, the town experienced an annular eclipse with 86.9 % obscuration. After the eclipses of 2026, 2027 and 2028, you will have to wait until 27 February 2082 for the next annular eclipse, and until 17 November 2180 for the next total eclipse.
Direction and altitude of the Sun
At the moment of eclipse maximum, the Sun will be at 8.3° altitude and point to an azimuth of 283°, that is, almost directly west-northwest. The Sun will already be descending in the evening sky towards sunset, so the available light will have that warm, low-angle glow characteristic of Cantabrian summer afternoons.
Editorial text by eclipses.app · Data: Wikidata, AEMET, NASA and JPL planetary ephemerides.
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The eclipse from Portugalete
In Portugalete, totality began at 20:27 local time and lasted 0 min 17 s, until 20:28. The eclipse maximum fell at 20:28.
In Portugalete, the Sun was 8° above the horizon, toward the WNW. With that much margin above the horizon, any spot with open sky worked.
This area typically sees around 44% 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 Portugalete
Local time · Europe/Madrid| Phase | Local time | UTC | Progress | Sun alt. | Sun az. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C1 — Partial begins | 19:31:42 | 17:31:42 UTC | +18.3° | 273.3° | |
| C2 — Totality begins | 20:27:25 | 18:27:25 UTC | +8.4° | 282.6° | |
| Maximum | 20:27:34 | 18:27:34 UTC | +8.3° | 282.6° | |
| C3 — Totality ends | 20:27:43 | 18:27:43 UTC | +8.3° | 282.6° | |
| The Sun sets behind the terrain(terrain event, not an eclipse phase) | 20:56 | 18:56 UTC | +3.4° | 287.4° | |
| C4 — Partial endsnot visible | 21:20:01 | 19:20:01 UTC | -0.3° | 291.4° |
Phases marked with ⛰️ were not seen: the Sun was already hidden behind the real terrain at that moment.
C2/C3 times and duration corrected for the lunar limb (the Moon's real edge profile).
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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
- 43.3210° N
- Longitude
- 3.0206° W
- Elevation
- 49 m
Eclipse phases
- Eclipse begins
- 19:31:42
- Totality begins
- 20:27:25
- Maximum
- 20:27:34
- Totality ends
- 20:27:43
- Eclipse ends
- 21:20:01
- Sunset (flat horizon)
- 21:19:34
Duration
- Eclipse
- 1h 48m 19s
- Totality
- 17s
Values at maximum
- Obscuration
- 100%
- Sun altitude
- +8.3°
- Sun azimuth
- 282.6°
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Sun direction and altitude at maximum
It was toward WNW (282.6°)
282.6° WNW
Azimuth at maximum
8.33°
Sun altitude at maximum
2.87°
Terrain horizon
+5.42°
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 Portugalete
| Peak | Elevation | Distance | Azimuth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ganekogorta | 999.2 m | 13.6 km | 166° SSE |
| Arrabatxu | 984 m | 13.8 km | 167° SSE |
| Pagero | 963 m | 13.6 km | 170° S |
| Terreros | 911 m | 23.6 km | 234° SW |
| Gallarraga | 901 m | 13.9 km | 176° S |
| Eretza | 887 m | 10.3 km | 194° SSW |
| Kolitza | 883 m | 22.9 km | 234° SW |
| Biderdi | 877 m | 13.7 km | 160° SSE |
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The August sky
Avg. temp.
19.8°C
Max / min
23.3° / 16.2°
Precipitation
44.8 mm
Storm risk
High
Station PUNTA GALEA, 6 km away · Period 1991-2020 · Source: AEMET
44%Historical average cloud cover
P25 — clearer days · 12%Median cloud cover · 44%P75 — cloudier days · 83%
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 Portugalete
- Last total eclipseAugust 12, 20260 years ago
- Last annular eclipseApril 1, 1764262 years ago
- Next total eclipseNovember 17, 2180
- 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 Portugalete
Was the eclipse of August 12, 2026 visible from Portugalete?
Yes — Portugalete was inside the totality path and the horizon allowed the total phase to be fully visible.
What time was the eclipse maximum in Portugalete?
Maximum occurred at 20:27 local time (18:27 UTC) in Portugalete.
Which direction was the Sun in during the eclipse from Portugalete?
The Sun was toward the WNW (azimuth 283°), 8° above the horizon at maximum from Portugalete.
How long did totality last in Portugalete?
Totality lasted 0 min 17 s in Portugalete (C2 to C3). (corrected for the Moon's limb profile)
Was Portugalete a good place to watch the eclipse?
Portugalete saw totality (C2-C3) very close to the western horizon. The partial end (C4) fell below the horizon: a clear western view was needed for an epic experience.
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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