Eclipse 12 Aug 2026 · 20:31
Tortosa
40.812°, 0.522° · 18 m a.s.l.
1 min 29 s of night in broad daylight
Marginal · score 68/100 Sun at +5° · 286° WNW
Marginal: only 0.98° between the Sun and the local skyline at C3.
Total eclipse · 100% obscuration
C1 — Partial begins
19:36
☀ +15°
C2 — Totality begins
20:30
☀ +5°
Maximum
20:31
1m 29s · 286° WNW
C4 — Partial ends
21:22
☀ -4°
TORTOSA · 40.812° N 0.522° E
Photo: Manel Zaera · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
In Tortosa, day turned to night for 1 min 29 s.
At 20:31 local time, the Moon fully covered the Sun over Tortosa. For 1 min 29 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 50/ 100
Blocked by terrain
See the eclipse from Tortosa minute by minute
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About Tortosa
Tortosa is a municipality of some 35,000 inhabitants in the province of Tarragona, Catalonia, situated on the banks of the Ebro river a few kilometers before its mouth into the delta. At 18 meters above sea level, it sits on a plain in the south of the autonomous community where Mediterranean climate brings hot, dry summers. The flat terrain surrounding the city offers clear views toward the western and northwestern horizon.
For this eclipse
On August 12, 2026, Tortosa will lie within the path of totality of the solar eclipse. Maximum will occur at 20:30, with the Sun at 4.6° above the horizon, giving a margin of 2° over the topographic horizon—sufficient for the corona to be visible from the city. At that moment the Sun will be positioned west-northwest (azimuth 286°), so it is best to choose a location free of obstructions in that direction.
The weather in August
August in Tortosa is hot: AEMET records an average temperature of 27 °C, with highs reaching 33 °C and lows near 21 °C. The month accumulates roughly 291 hours of sunshine and the probability of clear skies is around 70 %. Average precipitation is 27.9 mm, but the risk of thunderstorms is high, especially on hot afternoons; an afternoon storm could compromise visibility during the eclipse's key hours. Data: AEMET (1991–2020).
Past eclipses
The last total solar eclipse visible from Tortosa occurred on August 30, 1905, 121 years ago, with a totality lasting nearly three minutes. Years earlier, on November 11, 1901, an annular eclipse covered 82 % of the solar disk. After the eclipses of 2026, 2027, and 2028, the next annular will not occur until July 13, 2075, and the next total not until November 17, 2180.
Direction and altitude of the Sun
At maximum, at 20:30, the Sun will be 4.6° above the horizon pointing west-northwest, at an azimuth of 286°. This low position bathes totality in the warm light of sunset and creates sharp contrast between the darkened sky overhead and a still-luminous horizon. For unobstructed viewing, the best approach is to position yourself at an elevated spot or with broad views toward the west.
Editorial text by eclipses.app · Data: Wikidata, AEMET, NASA and JPL planetary ephemerides.
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The eclipse from Tortosa
In Tortosa, totality began at 20:30 local time and lasted 1 min 29 s, until 20:31. The eclipse maximum fell at 20:31.
In Tortosa, the Sun was 5° above the horizon, toward the WNW. It sat right at the edge of the horizon: even a small nearby obstacle could have blocked it.
This area typically sees around 15% 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 Tortosa
Local time · Europe/Madrid| Phase | Local time | UTC | Progress | Sun alt. | Sun az. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C1 — Partial begins | 19:36:07 | 17:36:07 UTC | +14.7° | 277.1° | |
| C2 — Totality begins | 20:29:56 | 18:29:56 UTC | +4.8° | 285.6° | |
| Maximum | 20:30:41 | 18:30:41 UTC | +4.7° | 285.7° | |
| C3 — Totality ends | 20:31:25 | 18:31:25 UTC | +4.5° | 285.8° | |
| The Sun sets behind the terrain(terrain event, not an eclipse phase) | 20:36 | 18:36 UTC | +3.7° | 286.6° | |
| C4 — Partial endsnot visible | 21:21:58 | 19:21:58 UTC | -4.0° | 294.1° |
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
- 40.8125° N
- Longitude
- 0.5216° E
- Elevation
- 18 m
Eclipse phases
- Eclipse begins
- 19:36:07
- Totality begins
- 20:29:56
- Maximum
- 20:30:41
- Totality ends
- 20:31:25
- Eclipse ends
- 21:21:58
- Sunset (flat horizon)
- 21:00:16
Duration
- Eclipse
- 1h 45m 51s
- Totality
- 1m 29s
Values at maximum
- Obscuration
- 100%
- Sun altitude
- +4.7°
- Sun azimuth
- 285.7°
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Sun direction and altitude at maximum
It was toward WNW (285.7°)
285.7° WNW
Azimuth at maximum
4.67°
Sun altitude at maximum
3.55°
Terrain horizon
+0.98°
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 Tortosa
| Peak | Elevation | Distance | Azimuth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caro | 1441 m | 15.1 km | 266° W |
| Moleta Rodona | 1362.5 m | 15.8 km | 265° W |
| la Barcina | 1353.9 m | 13.5 km | 271° W |
| les Mirandes | 1351 m | 20.6 km | 252° WSW |
| Mola dels Conills | 1349 m | 20.5 km | 252° WSW |
| Catinell | 1348 m | 20.4 km | 253° WSW |
| Cim del Maturi | 1347.2 m | 17.8 km | 259° W |
| Mola de la Bota | 1345 m | 20.6 km | 250° WSW |
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The August sky
Avg. temp.
27°C
Max / min
33.1° / 20.9°
Precipitation
27.9 mm
Storm risk
High
Station ESTACIÓN DE TORTOSA (ROQUETES), 3 km away · Period 1991-2020 · Source: AEMET
15%Historical average cloud cover
P25 — clearer days · 2%Median cloud cover · 15%P75 — cloudier days · 52%
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 Tortosa
The path of totality crossed over Tortosa, but the Sun was behind the terrain before the total phase began.
- Last total eclipseAugust 30, 1905121 years ago
- Last annular eclipseNovember 11, 1901125 years ago
- Totality blocked by terrainAugust 12, 20260 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 Tortosa
Was the eclipse of August 12, 2026 visible from Tortosa?
Yes, but marginally: with 100% obscuration, the topographic horizon from Tortosa was very close to the Sun's altitude at the end.
What time was the eclipse maximum in Tortosa?
Maximum occurred at 20:30 local time (18:30 UTC) in Tortosa.
Which direction was the Sun in during the eclipse from Tortosa?
The Sun was toward the WNW (azimuth 286°), 5° above the horizon at maximum from Tortosa.
How long did totality last in Tortosa?
Totality lasted 1 min 29 s in Tortosa (C2 to C3). (corrected for the Moon's limb profile)
Was Tortosa a good place to watch the eclipse?
Tortosa 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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