Eclipse 12 Aug 2026 · 20:30
Valls
41.286°, 1.250° · 223 m a.s.l.
0 min 33 s of night in broad daylight
Marginal · score 58/100 Sun at +4° · 286° WNW
Marginal: only 0.44° between the Sun and the local skyline at C3.
Total eclipse · 100% obscuration
C1 — Partial begins
19:35
☀ +14°
C2 — Totality begins
20:29
☀ +5°
Maximum
20:30
33s · 286° WNW
C4 — Partial ends
21:21
☀ -4°
VALLS · 41.286° N 1.250° E
Photo: Santi Gomà · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
In Valls, day turned to night for 0 min 33 s.
At 20:30 local time, the Moon fully covered the Sun over Valls. For 0 min 33 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 Valls minute by minute
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About Valls
Valls is a municipality of some 25,000 inhabitants located in the Camp de Tarragona region, province of Tarragona, in Catalonia. At an altitude of 223 metres above sea level, the city occupies the centre of the Francolí river plain, surrounded by vineyards and almond groves. Internationally recognized for its tradition of castellers—the human tower formations declared an Intangible Heritage of Humanity—Valls acts as a service hub for inner Tarragona.
For this eclipse
On 12 August 2026, Valls will lie in the path of totality of the solar eclipse. The moment of greatest obscuration will arrive at 20:29 local time, when the Sun will already be very close to the western horizon, at just 4.4 degrees above the horizon. This position leaves a margin of barely 1.2 degrees over the topographic horizon, making the visibility of totality marginal: any natural or artificial obstacle to the west-northwest could prevent seeing the minutes of the solar corona. It is recommended to seek an elevated location with a clear horizon in that direction.
The weather in August
August is the warmest month of the year in Valls. The average temperature hovers around 24.7 °C, with highs that regularly reach 30.9 °C during the day and lows of 18.5 °C at night. Precipitation is scarce—around 24.7 mm average monthly—but the risk of convective thunderstorm is moderate: the hot afternoons of inner Catalonia can generate towering cumulonimbus clouds that would cloud the view in the hours before the eclipse. Data: AEMET, 1991–2020 series.
Past eclipses
Valls has memory of great eclipses. On 8 July 1842—184 years ago—the city witnessed a total solar eclipse with approximately one minute of totality, one of the most remembered astronomical events of the 19th century on the Iberian Peninsula. The last annular eclipse dates from 11 November 1901, 125 years ago. After the 2026 eclipse, one must wait until 13 July 2075 to see an annular eclipse, and until 17 November 2180 for the next total.
Direction and altitude of the Sun
At the moment of maximum eclipse, the Sun will be positioned at an azimuth of 286 degrees—almost due west, with a slight tilt towards the northwest—and at just 4.4 degrees above the horizon line. This height is roughly equivalent to the width of four fingers held at arm's length. The Sun will descend rapidly towards sunset, so the eclipse will unfold with an orange-coloured ambient light characteristic of dusk and a very low horizon.
Editorial text by eclipses.app · Data: Wikidata, AEMET, NASA and JPL planetary ephemerides.
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The eclipse from Valls
In Valls, totality began at 20:29 local time and lasted 0 min 33 s, until 20:30. The eclipse maximum fell at 20:30.
In Valls, the Sun was 4° 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 17% 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 Valls
Local time · Europe/Madrid| Phase | Local time | UTC | Progress | Sun alt. | Sun az. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C1 — Partial begins | 19:35:18 | 17:35:18 UTC | +14.3° | 277.3° | |
| C2 — Totality begins | 20:29:26 | 18:29:26 UTC | +4.5° | 285.9° | |
| Maximum | 20:29:44 | 18:29:44 UTC | +4.4° | 286.0° | |
| C3 — Totality ends | 20:29:59 | 18:29:59 UTC | +4.4° | 286.0° | |
| The Sun sets behind the terrain(terrain event, not an eclipse phase) | 20:33 | 18:33 UTC | +3.9° | 286.5° | |
| C4 — Partial endsnot visible | 21:20:57 | 19:20:57 UTC | -4.1° | 294.4° |
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
- 41.2861° N
- Longitude
- 1.2499° E
- Elevation
- 223 m
Eclipse phases
- Eclipse begins
- 19:35:18
- Totality begins
- 20:29:26
- Maximum
- 20:29:44
- Totality ends
- 20:29:59
- Eclipse ends
- 21:20:57
- Sunset (flat horizon)
- 20:58:14
Duration
- Eclipse
- 1h 45m 39s
- Totality
- 33s
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
4.45°
Sun altitude at maximum
3.95°
Terrain horizon
+0.44°
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 Valls
| Peak | Elevation | Distance | Azimuth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tossal de la BaltasanaIn the Sun's direction | 1200.9 m | 21.0 km | 282° WNW |
| la MoletaIn the Sun's direction | 1195.7 m | 20.3 km | 283° WNW |
| Roca del GríngolIn the Sun's direction | 1177.6 m | 20.0 km | 284° WNW |
| Punta de les CatalanesIn the Sun's direction | 1155.5 m | 21.5 km | 284° WNW |
| Mola d'EstatIn the Sun's direction | 1127.3 m | 16.5 km | 285° WNW |
| Mola del GuerxetIn the Sun's direction | 1121.2 m | 16.2 km | 291° WNW |
| Mola dels Quatre TermesIn the Sun's direction | 1118.3 m | 16.2 km | 288° WNW |
| Taula dels Quatre BatllesIn the Sun's direction | 1117.7 m | 16.1 km | 287° WNW |
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The August sky
Avg. temp.
24.7°C
Max / min
30.9° / 18.5°
Precipitation
24.7 mm
Storm risk
Medium
Station VALLS, 1 km away · Period 1991-2020 · Source: AEMET
17%Historical average cloud cover
P25 — clearer days · 5%Median cloud cover · 17%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 Valls
The path of totality crossed over Valls, but the Sun was behind the terrain before the total phase began.
- Last total eclipseJuly 8, 1842184 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 Valls
Was the eclipse of August 12, 2026 visible from Valls?
Yes, but marginally: with 100% obscuration, the topographic horizon from Valls was very close to the Sun's altitude at the end.
What time was the eclipse maximum in Valls?
Maximum occurred at 20:29 local time (18:29 UTC) in Valls.
Which direction was the Sun in during the eclipse from Valls?
The Sun was toward the WNW (azimuth 286°), 4° above the horizon at maximum from Valls.
How long did totality last in Valls?
Totality lasted 0 min 33 s in Valls (C2 to C3). (corrected for the Moon's limb profile)
Was Valls a good place to watch the eclipse?
Valls 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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