Eclipse 12 Aug 2026 · 20:32
Torrelodones
40.577°, -3.927° · 856 m a.s.l.
0 min 22 s of night in broad daylight
Visible · score 74/100 Sun at +8° · 283° WNW
The Sun clears local terrain by 4.98° 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
☀ +18°
C2 — Totality begins
20:32
☀ +8°
Maximum
20:32
22s · 283° WNW
C4 — Partial ends
21:24
☀ -1°
TORRELODONES · 40.577° N -3.927° W
Photo: Paconi · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
In Torrelodones, day turned to night for 0 min 22 s.
At 20:32 local time, the Moon fully covered the Sun over Torrelodones. For 0 min 22 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 38/ 100
Eclipse visible
See the eclipse from Torrelodones minute by minute
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About Torrelodones
Torrelodones is a municipality in the northwest of the Community of Madrid, nestled at the foot of the Guadarrama mountain range at 856 metres altitude. With a population of around 22,000 inhabitants, it is located some 30 kilometres from Madrid city centre, along the A-6 corridor. Its granite relief and elevated position afford wide views towards the west and southwest, a characteristic that takes on special relevance for the solar eclipse in the summer of 2026.
For this eclipse
On 12 August 2026, Torrelodones will lie within the path of totality of the solar eclipse. Maximum will occur at 20:31 local time, when the Sun will be just 7.6° above the horizon, with an azimuth of 283°, oriented towards the west-northwest. Although the clearance above the terrain profile is 6.4° — sufficient to witness totality — the low altitude of the Sun means that any obstruction in that direction becomes critical. It is recommended to choose an observation point with the western horizon completely clear.
The weather in August
August in the northwest mountains of Madrid is generally characterised by favourable atmospheric stability. AEMET records for station 3268C, covering the climatological period 1991–2020, indicate a low risk of storms in this month, making the second half of the month the most stable period of the summer in this region. This condition is favourable for astronomical observation, as it reduces the probability of cloud cover in the late afternoon hours.
Past eclipses
The last total solar eclipse visible from Torrelodones dates back to 8 July 1842, 184 years ago, with a totality phase of just 84 seconds. More recently, on 3 October 2005, an annular eclipse occurred that obscured 90.2% of the Sun for roughly four minutes. After the eclipses of 2026 and 2028, the next events of this type will take decades to return: the following annular eclipse over this territory will not arrive until 8 December 2113.
Direction and altitude of the Sun
At the moment of maximum eclipse, the Sun will occupy a position of 283° azimuth and 7.6° altitude above the horizon: this means looking towards the west-northwest, barely a few degrees north of due west. At such a grazing elevation, the Sun will be very close to the horizon, which highlights the importance of choosing a location with no obstructions in that direction. A hillside with unobstructed views to the west or an elevated terrace will be the most suitable option to enjoy totality.
Editorial text by eclipses.app · Data: Wikidata, AEMET, NASA and JPL planetary ephemerides.
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The eclipse from Torrelodones
In Torrelodones, totality began at 20:32 local time and lasted 0 min 22 s, until 20:32. The eclipse maximum fell at 20:32.
In Torrelodones, the Sun was 8° above the horizon, toward the WNW. Even so, a clear horizon toward the WNW helped.
This area typically sees around 9% 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 Torrelodones
Local time · Europe/Madrid| Phase | Local time | UTC | Progress | Sun alt. | Sun az. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C1 — Partial begins | 19:36:27 | 17:36:27 UTC | +17.9° | 274.4° | |
| C2 — Totality begins | 20:31:57 | 18:31:57 UTC | +7.6° | 283.1° | |
| Maximum | 20:32:08 | 18:32:08 UTC | +7.6° | 283.1° | |
| C3 — Totality ends | 20:32:19 | 18:32:19 UTC | +7.5° | 283.2° | |
| The Sun sets behind the terrain(terrain event, not an eclipse phase) | 21:04 | 19:04 UTC | +1.9° | 288.2° | |
| C4 — Partial endsnot visible | 21:24:19 | 19:24:19 UTC | -1.4° | 291.5° |
Phases marked with ⛰️ were not seen: the Sun was already hidden behind the real terrain at that moment.
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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
- 40.5765° N
- Longitude
- 3.9266° W
- Elevation
- 856 m
Eclipse phases
- Eclipse begins
- 19:36:27
- Totality begins
- 20:31:57
- Maximum
- 20:32:08
- Totality ends
- 20:32:19
- Eclipse ends
- 21:24:19
- Sunset (flat horizon)
- 21:17:20
Duration
- Eclipse
- 1h 47m 52s
- Totality
- At the edge
This location falls on the edge of the path of totality. You may see a few seconds of totality or just a very deep partial eclipse — the difference comes down to metres. We don't publish a duration because we couldn't stand behind it.
Values at maximum
- Obscuration
- 100%
- Sun altitude
- +7.6°
- Sun azimuth
- 283.1°
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Sun direction and altitude at maximum
It was toward WNW (283.1°)
283.1° WNW
Azimuth at maximum
7.55°
Sun altitude at maximum
2.54°
Terrain horizon
+4.98°
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 Torrelodones
| Peak | Elevation | Distance | Azimuth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cabeza de Hierro Mayor | 2383 m | 24.8 km | 359° N |
| Cabeza de Hierro Menor | 2376 m | 24.4 km | 358° N |
| Cerro de Valdemartín | 2282 m | 24.2 km | 353° N |
| Alto de las Guarramillas (Bola del Mundo) | 2265 m | 23.6 km | 349° N |
| La Maliciosa | 2227 m | 21.5 km | 351° N |
| Cerro del Cristo | 2227 m | 23.8 km | 348° NNW |
| Dos Castillas | 2179 m | 23.8 km | 347° NNW |
| Siete Picos - Somontano | 2138 m | 24.5 km | 339° NNW |
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The August sky
9%Historical average cloud cover
P25 — clearer days · 0%Median cloud cover · 9%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 Torrelodones
- Last total eclipseAugust 12, 20260 years ago
- Last annular eclipseOctober 3, 200521 years ago
- Next annular eclipseDecember 8, 2113
Solar eclipses computed from astronomical ephemerides for the city's coordinates.
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Frequently asked questions about the eclipse in Torrelodones
Was the eclipse of August 12, 2026 visible from Torrelodones?
Yes — Torrelodones was inside the totality path and the horizon allowed the total phase to be fully visible.
What time was the eclipse maximum in Torrelodones?
Maximum occurred at 20:32 local time (18:32 UTC) in Torrelodones.
Which direction was the Sun in during the eclipse from Torrelodones?
The Sun was toward the WNW (azimuth 283°), 8° above the horizon at maximum from Torrelodones.
How long did totality last in Torrelodones?
Totality lasted 0 min 22 s in Torrelodones (C2 to C3).
Was Torrelodones a good place to watch the eclipse?
Torrelodones 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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