Eclipse 12 Aug 2026 · 20:30
Tarragona
41.119°, 1.245° · 60 m a.s.l.
0 min 52 s of night in broad daylight
Visible · score 69/100 Sun at +4° · 286° WNW
The Sun clears local terrain by 2.98° 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
☀ +4°
Maximum
20:30
52s · 286° WNW
C4 — Partial ends
21:21
☀ -4°
TARRAGONA · 41.119° N 1.245° E
Photo: User:Vmenkov · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
In Tarragona, day turned to night for 0 min 52 s.
At 20:30 local time, the Moon fully covered the Sun over Tarragona. For 0 min 52 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 Tarragona minute by minute
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About Tarragona
Tarragona is a coastal city in Catalonia, capital of its province, with approximately 141,500 inhabitants and an altitude of just 60 metres above sea level. It sits on the Mediterranean, at the southern edge of the Costa Daurada, and blends a historic core of Roman origins with modern neighbourhoods extending inland. Founded as a municipality in the 12th century, its geographical position between the Ebro delta and the Camp de Tarragona makes it a landmark of the Catalan coast.
For this eclipse
On 12 August 2026, Tarragona lies within the path of totality of the solar eclipse. Maximum occurs at 20:29, when the Sun reaches only 4.3° above the horizon with a margin over the terrain of 3.3°. The solar corona will be visible, but the Sun will be very low to the west-southwest, making it essential to have a completely clear horizon in that direction. Any obstruction—building, tree, or ground feature—can compromise the observation of totality.
The weather in August
August in Tarragona is marked by low storm risk, a positive sign for evening or dusk observation. Situated over the Mediterranean, the sea acts as a thermal regulator and reduces the convection that generates summer showers inland. Although temperature data from the reference AEMET station are not currently available, the typical Mediterranean coastal climate of the area suggests generally stable and warm conditions during this month.
Past eclipses
The last total eclipse visible from Tarragona dates back to 12 May 1706, more than three centuries ago. The only annular eclipse recorded in more recent times occurred on 11 November 1901, with an obscuration of 82.2% and an annular phase of just over six minutes. After the 2026–2028 cycle, the next local totality will not arrive until 17 November 2180; the next annular is expected on 13 July 2075.
Direction and altitude of the Sun
At maximum eclipse, the Sun will stand 4.3° above the horizon with an azimuth of 286°, which is roughly west with a slight northward deviation. At that time, the sun will have already shifted from south to west and will continue to descend rapidly. Orienting towards west-northwest from a clearing or beach will allow you to follow the complete evolution of the contacts without urban buildings obstructing the view.
Editorial text by eclipses.app · Data: Wikidata, AEMET, NASA and JPL planetary ephemerides.
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The eclipse from Tarragona
In Tarragona, totality began at 20:30 local time and lasted 0 min 52 s, until 20:30. The eclipse maximum fell at 20:30.
In Tarragona, the Sun was 4° above the horizon, toward the WNW. Even so, a clear horizon toward the WNW helped.
This area typically sees around 22% 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 Tarragona
Local time · Europe/Madrid| Phase | Local time | UTC | Progress | Sun alt. | Sun az. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C1 — Partial begins | 19:35:35 | 17:35:35 UTC | +14.3° | 277.4° | |
| C2 — Totality begins | 20:29:31 | 18:29:31 UTC | +4.5° | 285.9° | |
| Maximum | 20:29:59 | 18:29:59 UTC | +4.4° | 286.0° | |
| C3 — Totality ends | 20:30:22 | 18:30:22 UTC | +4.3° | 286.1° | |
| The Sun sets behind the terrain(terrain event, not an eclipse phase) | 20:47 | 18:47 UTC | +1.4° | 288.9° | |
| C4 — Partial endsnot visible | 21:21:11 | 19:21:11 UTC | -4.3° | 294.5° |
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
- 41.1191° N
- Longitude
- 1.2454° E
- Elevation
- 60 m
Eclipse phases
- Eclipse begins
- 19:35:35
- Totality begins
- 20:29:31
- Maximum
- 20:29:59
- Totality ends
- 20:30:22
- Eclipse ends
- 21:21:11
- Sunset (flat horizon)
- 20:57:58
Duration
- Eclipse
- 1h 45m 36s
- Totality
- 52s
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
4.36°
Sun altitude at maximum
1.30°
Terrain horizon
+2.98°
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 Tarragona
| Peak | Elevation | Distance | Azimuth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Puig Pelat | 1075.8 m | 22.9 km | 316° NW |
| Puig de la Torre | 1054.9 m | 22.2 km | 314° NW |
| Pic Cantacorbs | 1050 m | 22.8 km | 315° NW |
| Tossal del Xanda | 1036 m | 24.0 km | 316° NW |
| Roca de Migdia | 1021.6 m | 24.7 km | 321° NW |
| Punta de la Fita VellaIn the Sun's direction | 1018.3 m | 24.8 km | 309° NW |
| Punta de Barrina | 1013.6 m | 23.0 km | 320° NW |
| Tossal de Baptistó | 1013.2 m | 24.7 km | 319° NW |
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The August sky
22%Historical average cloud cover
P25 — clearer days · 4%Median cloud cover · 22%P75 — cloudier days · 68%
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 Tarragona
- 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 Tarragona
Was the eclipse of August 12, 2026 visible from Tarragona?
Yes — Tarragona was inside the totality path and the horizon allowed the total phase to be fully visible.
What time was the eclipse maximum in Tarragona?
Maximum occurred at 20:29 local time (18:29 UTC) in Tarragona.
Which direction was the Sun in during the eclipse from Tarragona?
The Sun was toward the WNW (azimuth 286°), 4° above the horizon at maximum from Tarragona.
How long did totality last in Tarragona?
Totality lasted 0 min 52 s in Tarragona (C2 to C3). (corrected for the Moon's limb profile)
Was Tarragona a good place to watch the eclipse?
Tarragona 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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