Eclipse 12 Aug 2026 · 20:39
Rota
36.624°, -6.360° · 17 m a.s.l.
93% of the Sun covered at maximum
Visible · score 50/100 Sun at +7° · 283° WNW
The Sun clears local terrain by 7.34° at peak.
Partial eclipse · 93% obscuration
ROTA · 36.624° N -6.360° W
Photo: Antonio M. Romero Dorado · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
In Rota, the Moon covered 93% of the Sun.
At 20:39 local time, the Moon took a bite out of the Sun over Rota, covering up to 93% 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 100/ 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 80/ 100
Full ring visible
See the eclipse from Rota minute by minute
Compare locations, save your plan and enable cloud alerts.
About Rota
Rota is a coastal town in the province of Cádiz, Andalusia, with a population of just over 28,800. It sits at the western edge of the Bay of Cádiz, facing open waters to the Atlantic Ocean that shape much of its landscape and climate. This westward-facing orientation, with the sea as a natural boundary, is precisely what will determine how the partial eclipse of 12 August 2026 is observed from this point on the Cádiz coast.
For this eclipse
During the eclipse of 12 August 2026, Rota will experience a partial phase, with maximum at around 20:38 local time. At that moment the Sun is low, just 7.3° above the horizon, yet it remains more than 7 degrees above the surrounding terrain—no part of the landscape blocks the observer's view of the solar disc. Still, with the Sun so close to the horizon, it is wise to seek a spot with clear sightlines to the west; in Rota, the open sea itself provides that unobstructed horizon.
The weather in August
In August, Rota records a mean temperature of 25.3 °C, with highs around 30.7 °C and lows of 19.8 °C, according to AEMET's climate record for 1991–2020. It is a dry month, with scarcely 2 mm of accumulated rainfall on average and low thunderstorm risk. The sky is typically clear: the probability of cloudless skies hovers around 83 %, aided by more than 344 hours of sunshine per month—a favourable factor for following the eclipse without meteorological interference.
Past eclipses
The last total eclipse visible from Rota occurred on 22 December 1870, 156 years ago, with totality lasting just over two minutes. Earlier, on 1 April 1764, 262 years ago, the town witnessed an annular eclipse with 86.9 % obscuration. After the 2026–2028 eclipse cycle, the next annular eclipse will arrive on 13 July 2075, and one must wait until 17 July 2205 for the next total eclipse to be visible from this point on the Cádiz coast.
Direction and altitude of the Sun
At maximum, around 20:38, the Sun sits 7.3° in altitude above the horizon, at an azimuth of 283°—that is, towards the west-northwest. It is a low position, typical of an eclipse occurring in late afternoon as the Sun approaches the horizon. It is advisable to position oneself where there are clear sightlines in that direction: in Rota, the coastline facing the Atlantic offers an open horizon to the west-northwest, free of obstructions to observation.
Editorial text by eclipses.app · Data: Wikidata, AEMET, NASA and JPL planetary ephemerides.
01
The eclipse from Rota
In Rota, the eclipse reached its maximum at 20:39 local time, with 93% of the Sun covered by the Moon.
In Rota, the Sun was 7° above the horizon, toward the WNW. With that much margin above the horizon, any spot with open sky worked.
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.
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=36.6236&lon=-6.3600&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 Rota
Local time · Europe/Madrid| Phase | Local time | UTC | Progress | Sun alt. | Sun az. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C1 — Partial begins | 19:43:18 | 17:43:18 UTC | +18.2° | 275.3° | |
| Maximum | 20:38:57 | 18:38:57 UTC | +7.2° | 283.2° | |
| The Sun sets behind the terrain(terrain event, not an eclipse phase) | 21:19 | 19:19 UTC | -0.1° | 289.1° | |
| C4 — Partial endsnot visible | 21:30:55 | 19:30:55 UTC | -2.2° | 290.8° |
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
- 36.6236° N
- Longitude
- 6.3600° W
- Elevation
- 17 m
Eclipse phases
- Eclipse begins
- 19:43:18
- Maximum
- 20:38:57
- Eclipse ends
- 21:30:55
- Sunset (flat horizon)
- 21:20:02
Duration
- Eclipse
- 1h 47m 36s
Values at maximum
- Obscuration
- 93%
- Sun altitude
- +7.2°
- Sun azimuth
- 283.2°
06
Sun direction and altitude at maximum
It was toward WNW (283.2°)
283.2° WNW
Azimuth at maximum
7.21°
Sun altitude at maximum
-0.13°
Terrain horizon
+7.34°
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 Rota
| Peak | Elevation | Distance | Azimuth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sierra de San Cristóbal | 125 m | 18.5 km | 86° E |
| Cerro de las Canteras | 110 m | 16.4 km | 84° E |
| Cerro de la Caridad Alta | 96 m | 15.1 km | 85° E |
| Cabeza de Aceña | 54 m | 23.0 km | 81° E |
| Cerro de Ceuta | 53.1 m | 20.1 km | 120° ESE |
| Corral Grande | 28 m | 22.1 km | 355° N |
07
The August sky
Avg. temp.
25.3°C
Max / min
30.7° / 19.8°
Precipitation
2 mm
Storm risk
Low
Station ROTA, BASE NAVAL, 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 Rota
- Last total eclipseDecember 22, 1870156 years ago
- Last annular eclipseApril 1, 1764262 years ago
- Next total eclipseJuly 17, 2205
- Next annular eclipseJuly 13, 2075
Solar eclipses computed from astronomical ephemerides for the city's coordinates.
08
Frequently asked questions about the eclipse in Rota
Was the eclipse of August 12, 2026 visible from Rota?
Yes, partial eclipse: the Sun was 93% covered at maximum from Rota.
What time was the eclipse maximum in Rota?
Maximum occurred at 20:38 local time (18:38 UTC) in Rota.
Which direction was the Sun in during the eclipse from Rota?
The Sun was toward the WNW (azimuth 283°), 7° above the horizon at maximum from Rota.
Was Rota a good place to watch the eclipse?
Rota 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