Eclipse 12 Aug 2026 · 20:30
Salou
41.077°, 1.142° · 6 m a.s.l.
0 min 59 s of night in broad daylight
Visible · score 70/100 Sun at +4° · 286° WNW
The Sun clears local terrain by 2.68° at C3.
Full totality was visible here, but the Sun set before the partial phase ended — an unusually epic finale.
Total eclipse · 100% obscuration
C1 — Partial begins
19:36
☀ +14°
C2 — Totality begins
20:30
☀ +5°
Maximum
20:30
59s · 286° WNW
C4 — Partial ends
21:21
☀ -4°
SALOU · 41.077° N 1.142° E
Photo: Salvador Sáinz · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
In Salou, day turned to night for 0 min 59 s.
At 20:30 local time, the Moon fully covered the Sun over Salou. For 0 min 59 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 58/ 100
Marginal visibility — depends on fine horizon
See the eclipse from Salou minute by minute
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About Salou
Salou is a coastal municipality in the province of Tarragona, Catalonia, which gained its municipal independence in 1989 when it separated from Vila-seca. It sits on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, on the Costa Daurada, just 6 meters above sea level and with a population of 26,775 inhabitants. Its location in the Camp de Tarragona, between Cape Salou and the Francolí delta, establishes it as one of the key references along the Tarragona coastline.
For this eclipse
On 12 August 2026, Salou lies within the path of totality of the solar eclipse. Maximum occurs at 20:29 local time, when the Sun will be 4.3 degrees above the horizon in the west-northwest direction (azimuth 286°). The clearance above the horizon is 3.3 degrees: sufficient for totality to be fully visible, though it is advisable to choose a location with the western horizon clear of buildings or obstacles so as not to miss the final moments of the total phase.
The weather in August
August in Salou is warm and bright: average temperature hovers around 25.2 °C, with typical highs around 30 °C and lows barely dropping below 20 °C. The month accumulates close to 276 hours of sunshine and a 66 % probability of clear skies. Average monthly precipitation is 36.5 mm, concentrated in isolated episodes; the risk of thunderstorms is moderate, which calls for attention to weather forecasts in the days prior to the eclipse. Data: AEMET (1991–2020 period).
Past eclipses
The last total eclipse visible from Salou occurred on 12 May 1706, 320 years ago, with a totality lasting slightly less than four minutes. More recently, the annular eclipse of 11 November 1901 covered 82 % of the solar disk. Following the eclipses of 2026–2028, the next annular eclipse will not arrive until 13 July 2075, while the next total eclipse from this same latitude will occur on 17 November 2180.
Direction and altitude of the Sun
At the moment of maximum, at 20:29 local time, the Sun is at azimuth 286°, oriented toward the west-northwest, with an altitude of 4.3 degrees above the horizon. At that time the star is close to sunset and descends steeply toward the west. To enjoy the total phase without obstructions, position yourself in a location with clear views toward the west: a flat area by the sea or a waterfront promenade with no tall buildings in that direction are ideal.
Editorial text by eclipses.app · Data: Wikidata, AEMET, NASA and JPL planetary ephemerides.
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The eclipse from Salou
In Salou, totality began at 20:30 local time and lasted 0 min 59 s, until 20:31. The eclipse maximum fell at 20:30.
In Salou, the Sun was 4° above the horizon, toward the WNW. Even so, a clear horizon toward the WNW helped.
This area typically sees around 20% 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 Salou
Local time · Europe/Madrid| Phase | Local time | UTC | Progress | Sun alt. | Sun az. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C1 — Partial begins | 19:35:39 | 17:35:39 UTC | +14.3° | 277.4° | |
| C2 — Totality begins | 20:29:33 | 18:29:33 UTC | +4.5° | 285.9° | |
| Maximum | 20:30:05 | 18:30:05 UTC | +4.4° | 286.0° | |
| C3 — Totality ends | 20:30:32 | 18:30:32 UTC | +4.3° | 286.1° | |
| The Sun sets behind the terrain(terrain event, not an eclipse phase) | 20:46 | 18:46 UTC | +1.6° | 288.6° | |
| C4 — Partial endsnot visible | 21:21:18 | 19:21:18 UTC | -4.2° | 294.4° |
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
- 41.0766° N
- Longitude
- 1.1416° E
- Elevation
- 6 m
Eclipse phases
- Eclipse begins
- 19:35:39
- Totality begins
- 20:29:33
- Maximum
- 20:30:05
- Totality ends
- 20:30:32
- Eclipse ends
- 21:21:18
- Sunset (flat horizon)
- 20:58:19
Duration
- Eclipse
- 1h 45m 38s
- Totality
- 59s
Values at maximum
- Obscuration
- 100%
- Sun altitude
- +4.4°
- Sun azimuth
- 286.0°
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Sun direction and altitude at maximum
It was toward WNW (286.0°)
286.0° WNW
Azimuth at maximum
4.41°
Sun altitude at maximum
1.63°
Terrain horizon
+2.68°
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 Salou
| Peak | Elevation | Distance | Azimuth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Puig Pelat | 1075.8 m | 22.3 km | 341° NNW |
| Puig de la Torre | 1054.9 m | 21.4 km | 340° NNW |
| Pic Cantacorbs | 1050 m | 22.2 km | 340° NNW |
| Tossal del Xanda | 1036 m | 23.4 km | 340° NNW |
| Roca de Migdia | 1021.6 m | 24.9 km | 344° NNW |
| Punta de la Fita Vella | 1018.3 m | 22.9 km | 333° NNW |
| Punta de Barrina | 1013.6 m | 23.1 km | 345° NNW |
| Tossal de Baptistó | 1013.2 m | 24.5 km | 342° NNW |
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The August sky
Avg. temp.
25.2°C
Max / min
30.2° / 20.1°
Precipitation
36.5 mm
Storm risk
Medium
Station REUS AEROPUERTO, 8 km away · Period 1991-2020 · Source: AEMET
20%Historical average cloud cover
P25 — clearer days · 2%Median cloud cover · 20%P75 — cloudier days · 64%
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 Salou
- Last total eclipseAugust 12, 20260 years ago
- Last annular eclipseNovember 11, 1901125 years ago
- Next total eclipseNovember 17, 2180
- Next annular eclipseJuly 13, 2075
Solar eclipses computed from astronomical ephemerides for the city's coordinates.
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Frequently asked questions about the eclipse in Salou
Was the eclipse of August 12, 2026 visible from Salou?
Yes — Salou was inside the totality path and the horizon allowed the total phase to be fully visible.
What time was the eclipse maximum in Salou?
Maximum occurred at 20:30 local time (18:30 UTC) in Salou.
Which direction was the Sun in during the eclipse from Salou?
The Sun was toward the WNW (azimuth 286°), 4° above the horizon at maximum from Salou.
How long did totality last in Salou?
Totality lasted 0 min 59 s in Salou (C2 to C3). (corrected for the Moon's limb profile)
Was Salou a good place to watch the eclipse?
Salou 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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