Eclipse 12 Aug 2026 · 20:32
Tres Cantos
40.601°, -3.708° · 731 m a.s.l.
0 min 21 s of night in broad daylight
Visible · score 74/100 Sun at +7° · 283° WNW
The Sun clears local terrain by 5.34° 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
☀ +7°
Maximum
20:32
21s · 283° WNW
C4 — Partial ends
21:24
☀ -2°
TRES CANTOS · 40.601° N -3.708° W
Photo: Håkan Svensson Xauxa · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
In Tres Cantos, day turned to night for 0 min 21 s.
At 20:32 local time, the Moon fully covered the Sun over Tres Cantos. For 0 min 21 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 34/ 100
Eclipse visible
See the eclipse from Tres Cantos minute by minute
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About Tres Cantos
Tres Cantos is a municipality in the Community of Madrid located at 731 meters altitude, in the northern zone of the Madrid metropolitan area, with a population of around 42,000 inhabitants. Born as a purpose-built city in the last decades of the twentieth century, it is characterized by its planned layout and residential-industrial profile. It borders municipalities like Colmenar Viejo and lies close to the Santillana reservoir and the Guadarrama mountain range.
For this eclipse
On August 12, 2026, Tres Cantos will lie within the path of totality of the solar eclipse. Totality, evaluated at contact C3, will culminate at 20:31 local time with the Sun at 7.4° above the horizon toward the west-northwest (azimuth 283°). The clearance above the topographic horizon is 6.4°, enough to guarantee direct visibility, though it is advisable to find an elevated vantage point with a clear horizon in that direction.
The weather in August
August in Tres Cantos brings dry, warm continental weather, with average temperatures of 23.5 °C, highs reaching 30.7 °C and cool lows of 16.3 °C according to AEMET data from 1991–2020. Average monthly precipitation is barely 9 mm and thunderstorm risk is rated as low, pointing to favorable meteorological conditions for observing the eclipse.
Past eclipses
The last total eclipse visible from Tres Cantos occurred on July 8, 1842, 184 years ago, with a duration of 95 seconds. More recently, on October 3, 2005, an annular eclipse covered 90.2 % of the solar disk for 245 seconds. After the eclipses of the 2026–2028 trilogy, one must wait until December 8, 2113 to see another annular eclipse from this city.
Direction and altitude of the Sun
At maximum eclipse, the Sun will be in the west-northwest quadrant of the sky, with an azimuth of 283° and an altitude of 7.4° above the horizon. That low position, near the end of the afternoon, means the phenomenon will unfold close to the horizon line. To make the most of visibility, orient yourself toward the northwest and ensure there are no obstacles like buildings or trees in that direction.
Editorial text by eclipses.app · Data: Wikidata, AEMET, NASA and JPL planetary ephemerides.
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The eclipse from Tres Cantos
In Tres Cantos, totality began at 20:32 local time and lasted 0 min 21 s, until 20:32. The eclipse maximum fell at 20:32.
In Tres Cantos, the Sun was 7° above the horizon, toward the WNW. With that much margin above the horizon, any spot with open sky worked.
This area typically sees around 12% 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 Tres Cantos
Local time · Europe/Madrid| Phase | Local time | UTC | Progress | Sun alt. | Sun az. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C1 — Partial begins | 19:36:27 | 17:36:27 UTC | +17.8° | 274.6° | |
| C2 — Totality begins | 20:31:59 | 18:31:59 UTC | +7.5° | 283.2° | |
| Maximum | 20:32:06 | 18:32:06 UTC | +7.4° | 283.3° | |
| C3 — Totality ends | 20:32:20 | 18:32:20 UTC | +7.4° | 283.3° | |
| The Sun sets behind the terrain(terrain event, not an eclipse phase) | 21:05 | 19:05 UTC | +1.6° | 288.5° | |
| C4 — Partial endsnot visible | 21:24:15 | 19:24:15 UTC | -1.5° | 291.6° |
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).
Location
- Latitude
- 40.6009° N
- Longitude
- 3.7081° W
- Elevation
- 731 m
Eclipse phases
- Eclipse begins
- 19:36:27
- Totality begins
- 20:31:59
- Maximum
- 20:32:06
- Totality ends
- 20:32:20
- Eclipse ends
- 21:24:15
- Sunset (flat horizon)
- 21:16:32
Duration
- Eclipse
- 1h 47m 48s
- Totality
- 21s
Values at maximum
- Obscuration
- 100%
- Sun altitude
- +7.4°
- Sun azimuth
- 283.3°
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Sun direction and altitude at maximum
It was toward WNW (283.3°)
283.3° WNW
Azimuth at maximum
7.41°
Sun altitude at maximum
2.01°
Terrain horizon
+5.34°
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 Tres Cantos
| Peak | Elevation | Distance | Azimuth |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Esfinge | 1945 m | 24.6 km | 327° NNW |
| Risco del Ventanillo | 1924 m | 24.8 km | 326° NNW |
| El Cocodrilo | 1909 m | 24.3 km | 327° NNW |
| Cerro de los Hoyos (o Risco del Nevazo) | 1899 m | 24.3 km | 327° NNW |
| Torre de los Buitres | 1827 m | 23.8 km | 326° NW |
| Risco de la Ventana | 1826 m | 23.8 km | 327° NNW |
| Cancho de la Herrada | 1822 m | 23.6 km | 326° NW |
| El Cocodrilo | 1811.1 m | 24.3 km | 326° NW |
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The August sky
Avg. temp.
23.5°C
Max / min
30.7° / 16.3°
Precipitation
9 mm
Storm risk
Low
Station MADRID, EL GOLOSO, 4 km away · Period 1991-2020 · Source: AEMET
12%Historical average cloud cover
P25 — clearer days · 0%Median cloud cover · 12%P75 — cloudier days · 48%
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 Tres Cantos
- 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 Tres Cantos
Was the eclipse of August 12, 2026 visible from Tres Cantos?
Yes — Tres Cantos was inside the totality path and the horizon allowed the total phase to be fully visible.
What time was the eclipse maximum in Tres Cantos?
Maximum occurred at 20:32 local time (18:32 UTC) in Tres Cantos.
Which direction was the Sun in during the eclipse from Tres Cantos?
The Sun was toward the WNW (azimuth 283°), 7° above the horizon at maximum from Tres Cantos.
How long did totality last in Tres Cantos?
Totality lasted 0 min 21 s in Tres Cantos (C2 to C3). (corrected for the Moon's limb profile)
Was Tres Cantos a good place to watch the eclipse?
Tres Cantos 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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