Eclipse 12 Aug 2026 · 20:38
Roquetas de Mar
36.764°, -2.615° · 12 m a.s.l.
96% of the Sun covered at maximum
Visible · score 50/100 Sun at +5° · 285° WNW
The Sun clears local terrain by 3.20° at peak.
Partial eclipse · 96% obscuration
ROQUETAS DE MAR · 36.764° N -2.615° W
Photo: Ziegler175 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
In Roquetas de Mar, the Moon covered 96% of the Sun.
At 20:38 local time, the Moon took a bite out of the Sun over Roquetas de Mar, covering up to 96% 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 97/ 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 43/ 100
Eclipse visible
See the eclipse from Roquetas de Mar minute by minute
Compare locations, save your plan and enable cloud alerts.
About Roquetas de Mar
Roquetas de Mar is a coastal municipality in the province of Almería, in Andalusia, with nearly 95,000 inhabitants. Located just 12 meters above sea level, the city stretches along the Mediterranean coast southwest of the capital. Its surroundings combine beach areas, residential urban zones, and areas of intensive agriculture characteristic of eastern Andalusia.
For this eclipse
On August 12, 2026, Roquetas de Mar will experience a partial solar eclipse. Maximum will occur at 20:37, with the Sun at only 4.6° above the horizon in the west-southwest direction (azimuth 285°). The clearance above the topographic horizon is 3.2°: the eclipse will be visible from unobstructed viewpoints facing west, but any building, tree, or elevation to the west can block it. It is recommended to find a clear location in that direction.
The weather in August
August in Roquetas de Mar is characterized by reduced storm risk, which favors stable conditions during summer afternoons. The Mediterranean coastal climate of the Almería coast provides dry and hot summer days with minimal cloud cover, although proximity to the sea can generate some morning haze that typically disperses before midday. Data: AEMET (1991–2020 period).
Past eclipses
The last total eclipse recorded over Roquetas de Mar took place on May 12, 1706, more than three centuries ago, with a totality of approximately 3 minutes and 26 seconds. After the eclipses of 2026 and 2028, the next annular eclipse will arrive in July 2075, and it will not be until June 20, 2327 that a total eclipse crosses this Almería coast again.
Direction and altitude of the Sun
At the moment of maximum eclipse, the Sun will be in a nearly westward direction (azimuth 285°, slightly south of due west) and at a height of only 4.6° above the geometric horizon. That is roughly equivalent to the width of a hand held at arm's length above the horizon. For clear observation, it is best to position yourself in an open space with unobstructed views to the west, away from buildings or tall vegetation in that orientation.
Editorial text by eclipses.app · Data: Wikidata, AEMET, NASA and JPL planetary ephemerides.
01
The eclipse from Roquetas de Mar
In Roquetas de Mar, the eclipse reached its maximum at 20:38 local time, with 96% of the Sun covered by the Moon.
In Roquetas de Mar, the Sun was 5° above the horizon, toward the WNW. Even so, a clear horizon toward the WNW helped.
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.
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=36.7642&lon=-2.6147&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 Roquetas de Mar
Local time · Europe/Madrid| Phase | Local time | UTC | Progress | Sun alt. | Sun az. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C1 — Partial begins | 19:43:05 | 17:43:05 UTC | +15.2° | 277.3° | |
| Maximum | 20:37:46 | 18:37:46 UTC | +4.6° | 285.2° | |
| The Sun sets behind the terrain(terrain event, not an eclipse phase) | 20:54 | 18:54 UTC | +1.6° | 287.6° | |
| C4 — Partial endsnot visible | 21:28:59 | 19:28:59 UTC | -4.6° | 292.9° |
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
- 36.7642° N
- Longitude
- 2.6147° W
- Elevation
- 12 m
Eclipse phases
- Eclipse begins
- 19:43:05
- Maximum
- 20:37:46
- Eclipse ends
- 21:28:59
- Sunset (flat horizon)
- 21:05:19
Duration
- Eclipse
- 1h 45m 54s
Values at maximum
- Obscuration
- 96%
- Sun altitude
- +4.6°
- Sun azimuth
- 285.2°
06
Sun direction and altitude at maximum
It was toward WNW (285.2°)
285.2° WNW
Azimuth at maximum
4.62°
Sun altitude at maximum
1.42°
Terrain horizon
+3.20°
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 Roquetas de Mar
| Peak | Elevation | Distance | Azimuth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morrón de la Lagunilla | 2249 m | 24.4 km | 309° NW |
| Punta de los Pájaros | 2115 m | 25.0 km | 311° NW |
| Nuevo Mundo | 2113 m | 21.0 km | 308° NW |
| Cerro Felipe | 2094 m | 22.0 km | 312° NW |
| Morro de los Rubios | 2086 m | 22.3 km | 308° NW |
| Morrón de San JoséIn the Sun's direction | 2055 m | 22.5 km | 307° NW |
| Cerro Moya | 2038 m | 21.6 km | 314° NW |
| Dos HermanasIn the Sun's direction | 1996 m | 19.8 km | 306° NW |
07
The August sky
1%Historical average cloud cover
P25 — clearer days · 0%Median cloud cover · 1%P75 — cloudier days · 11%
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 Roquetas de Mar
- Last total eclipseMay 12, 1706320 years ago
- Next total eclipseJune 20, 2327
- Next annular eclipseJuly 13, 2075
Solar eclipses computed from astronomical ephemerides for the city's coordinates.
08
Frequently asked questions about the eclipse in Roquetas de Mar
Was the eclipse of August 12, 2026 visible from Roquetas de Mar?
Yes, partial eclipse: the Sun was 96% covered at maximum from Roquetas de Mar.
What time was the eclipse maximum in Roquetas de Mar?
Maximum occurred at 20:37 local time (18:37 UTC) in Roquetas de Mar.
Which direction was the Sun in during the eclipse from Roquetas de Mar?
The Sun was toward the WNW (azimuth 285°), 5° above the horizon at maximum from Roquetas de Mar.
Was Roquetas de Mar a good place to watch the eclipse?
Roquetas de Mar 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.
09