Eclipse 12 Aug 2026 · 20:29
Santiago de Compostela
42.881°, -8.546° · 257 m a.s.l.
99.9% of the Sun covered at maximum
Visible · score 50/100 Sun at +12° · 279° W
The Sun clears local terrain by 11.25° at peak.
Partial eclipse · 99.9% obscuration
SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA · 42.881° N -8.546° W
Photo: amaianos · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
In Santiago de Compostela, the Moon covered 99.9% of the Sun.
At 20:29 local time, the Moon took a bite out of the Sun over Santiago de Compostela, covering up to 99.9% 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 47/ 100
Eclipse visible
See the eclipse from Santiago de Compostela minute by minute
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About Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela is the capital of Galicia and is located in the province of Pontevedra, at 257 metres above sea level. With nearly 100,000 inhabitants, the city occupies the centre of the Galician community in the north-west of the Iberian peninsula, surrounded by a gentle terrain of river valleys and low mountains. Its setting determines an Atlantic climate with rainfall distributed throughout the year. The municipality acquired its current administrative status in 1834.
For this eclipse
On 12 August 2026, Santiago de Compostela will witness a partial solar eclipse. The maximum will occur at 20:28, with the Sun at nearly 12 degrees of altitude above the horizon — a wide margin that guarantees visibility without interference from the terrain. The obscuration will not reach totality, so daylight will not disappear, but the reduction of the solar disc will be clearly visible to the naked eye with approved filters. There is no need to travel to elevated areas: any location with a clear western horizon is suitable.
The weather in August
August in Santiago de Compostela combines moderate temperatures with notable rainfall for summer. The averages stand at 19.9 °C, with highs of 25 °C and lows of 14.6 °C, according to AEMET data from 1991–2020. The average rainfall for the month reaches 45.2 mm and the risk of thunderstorms is high, reflecting the Atlantic climate that characterises the city. Those planning to observe the eclipse should consider the possibility of partly cloudy skies or afternoon showers.
Past eclipses
The last eclipse of note visible from Santiago de Compostela was the annular eclipse of 3 October 2005, 21 years ago, which achieved an obscuration of 90% of the solar disc with an annular phase of about 200 seconds. There is no record of any total eclipse over the city in available history. After the eclipses of 2026, 2027 and 2028, the data record no total or annular eclipse of note in the near future.
Direction and altitude of the Sun
At the moment of maximum eclipse, the Sun will be at 11.9 degrees of altitude above the horizon, oriented west (azimuth 279°), nearly due west with a slight inclination towards north-west. At that afternoon hour, identifying the direction is straightforward from any viewpoint or street with a western view. The solar altitude provides a margin of 11.6 degrees above the topographic horizon, making it practically impossible for terrain to obstruct the observation.
Editorial text by eclipses.app · Data: Wikidata, AEMET, NASA and JPL planetary ephemerides.
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The eclipse from Santiago de Compostela
In Santiago de Compostela, the eclipse reached its maximum at 20:29 local time, with 99.9% of the Sun covered by the Moon.
In Santiago de Compostela, the Sun was 12° above the horizon, toward the West. With that much margin above the horizon, any spot with open sky worked.
This area typically sees around 4% median cloud cover at that hour, based on ten years of historical data — not a forecast for this specific eclipse.
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Don't miss it
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Eclipse schedule in Santiago de Compostela
Local time · Europe/Madrid| Phase | Local time | UTC | Progress | Sun alt. | Sun az. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C1 — Partial begins | 19:31:50 | 17:31:50 UTC | +22.3° | 269.8° | |
| Maximum | 20:29:10 | 18:29:10 UTC | +11.9° | 279.3° | |
| C4 — Partial ends | 21:22:48 | 19:22:48 UTC | +2.5° | 288.2° |
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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
- 42.8805° N
- Longitude
- 8.5457° W
- Elevation
- 257 m
Eclipse phases
- Eclipse begins
- 19:31:50
- Maximum
- 20:29:10
- Eclipse ends
- 21:22:48
- Sunset (flat horizon)
- 21:40:39
Duration
- Eclipse
- 1h 50m 58s
Values at maximum
- Obscuration
- 99.9%
- Sun altitude
- +11.9°
- Sun azimuth
- 279.3°
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Sun direction and altitude at maximum
It was toward West (279.3°)
279.3° W
Azimuth at maximum
11.89°
Sun altitude at maximum
0.64°
Terrain horizon
+11.25°
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 Santiago de Compostela
| Peak | Elevation | Distance | Azimuth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pico Xesteiras | 681 m | 23.1 km | 189° S |
| Monte Muralla | 674.4 m | 24.2 km | 232° SW |
| A Muralla | 666 m | 24.0 km | 231° SW |
| O Salgueiro | 658 m | 24.6 km | 231° SW |
| As Pedras | 613 m | 21.9 km | 229° SW |
| Portela Xesteiras | 603 m | 22.4 km | 188° S |
| Alto do Miradoiro | 569 m | 23.5 km | 227° SW |
| O Treito | 568 m | 23.2 km | 229° SW |
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The August sky
Avg. temp.
19.9°C
Max / min
25° / 14.6°
Precipitation
45.2 mm
Storm risk
High
Station SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA, 1 km away · Period 1991-2020 · Source: AEMET
4%Historical average cloud cover
P25 — clearer days · 0%Median cloud cover · 4%P75 — cloudier days · 47%
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 Santiago de Compostela
- Last annular eclipseOctober 3, 200521 years ago
Solar eclipses computed from astronomical ephemerides for the city's coordinates.
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Frequently asked questions about the eclipse in Santiago de Compostela
Was the eclipse of August 12, 2026 visible from Santiago de Compostela?
Yes, partial eclipse: the Sun was 99.9% covered at maximum from Santiago de Compostela.
What time was the eclipse maximum in Santiago de Compostela?
Maximum occurred at 20:29 local time (18:29 UTC) in Santiago de Compostela.
Which direction was the Sun in during the eclipse from Santiago de Compostela?
The Sun was toward the West (azimuth 279°), 12° above the horizon at maximum from Santiago de Compostela.
Was Santiago de Compostela a good place to watch the eclipse?
Santiago de Compostela 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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