Eclipse 12 Aug 2026 · 20:32
Vila-real
39.938°, -0.101° · 42 m a.s.l.
1 min 28 s of night in broad daylight
Visible · score 76/100 Sun at +5° · 286° WNW
The Sun clears local terrain by 2.95° 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
19:38
☀ +15°
C2 — Totality begins
20:31
☀ +5°
Maximum
20:32
1m 28s · 286° WNW
C4 — Partial ends
21:23
☀ -4°
VILA-REAL · 39.938° N -0.101° W
Photo: Trewert · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
In Vila-real, day turned to night for 1 min 28 s.
At 20:32 local time, the Moon fully covered the Sun over Vila-real. For 1 min 28 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 Vila-real minute by minute
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About Vila-real
Vila-real is a municipality in the province of Castellón, in the Valencian Community, home to just over 50,000 people and located at an elevation of 42 meters above sea level. Founded in 1274 by James I of Aragon, the city sits on the Mediterranean coastal plain, a short distance from the sea. Its economy has been historically tied to the tile industry, which established the region as one of the world's leading centers for this sector.
For this eclipse
On August 12, 2026, Vila-real lies within the band of totality: the eclipse will be total, with the maximum of the total phase occurring around 20:31 local time. The Sun will be only 4.5° above the horizon at that moment, with a margin of about 3° relative to the terrain, so it is advisable to seek a location with a clear western horizon free of obstacles such as buildings or trees. Totality, with the visible solar corona, will be the key astronomical event.
The weather in August
August is the warmest and sunniest month in Vila-real, with average temperatures around 26°C, typical highs of 30.7°C and lows of 21.6°C. The month accumulates nearly 300 hours of sunshine, and the probability of clear skies is around 72%. However, the risk of thunderstorms in August is high: average monthly precipitation reaches 20 mm, concentrated in brief but intense episodes, common in the interior and pre-coastal regions of Valencia. Data: AEMET (1991–2020).
Past eclipses
The last total eclipse visible from Vila-real occurred on August 30, 1905, 121 years ago, with a totality duration of just over three minutes. Before that, on November 11, 1901, the city witnessed an annular eclipse. After the eclipses of 2026 and 2028, the next significant annular eclipse from this latitude will not occur until July 13, 2075.
Direction and altitude of the Sun
At the moment of maximum eclipse, the Sun will be positioned toward the west-northwest, with an azimuth of 286° and an altitude above the horizon of 4.5°. That position, very close to sunset, means the solar corona will be visible in the lower band of the sky toward the west-northwest. To enjoy totality, it is recommended to position yourself at a point with a clear horizon in that direction, with no elements blocking the view at low angles.
Editorial text by eclipses.app · Data: Wikidata, AEMET, NASA and JPL planetary ephemerides.
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The eclipse from Vila-real
In Vila-real, totality began at 20:31 local time and lasted 1 min 28 s, until 20:33. The eclipse maximum fell at 20:32.
In Vila-real, the Sun was 5° above the horizon, toward the WNW. Even so, a clear horizon toward the WNW helped.
This area typically sees around 16% 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 Vila-real
Local time · Europe/Madrid| Phase | Local time | UTC | Progress | Sun alt. | Sun az. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C1 — Partial begins | 19:37:37 | 17:37:37 UTC | +14.8° | 277.2° | |
| C2 — Totality begins | 20:31:27 | 18:31:27 UTC | +4.8° | 285.5° | |
| Maximum | 20:32:12 | 18:32:12 UTC | +4.6° | 285.6° | |
| C3 — Totality ends | 20:32:55 | 18:32:55 UTC | +4.5° | 285.7° | |
| The Sun sets behind the terrain(terrain event, not an eclipse phase) | 20:50 | 18:50 UTC | +1.5° | 288.4° | |
| C4 — Partial endsnot visible | 21:23:29 | 19:23:29 UTC | -4.2° | 293.9° |
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
- 39.9383° N
- Longitude
- 0.1009° W
- Elevation
- 42 m
Eclipse phases
- Eclipse begins
- 19:37:37
- Totality begins
- 20:31:27
- Maximum
- 20:32:12
- Totality ends
- 20:32:55
- Eclipse ends
- 21:23:29
- Sunset (flat horizon)
- 21:01:03
Duration
- Eclipse
- 1h 45m 52s
- Totality
- 1m 28s
Values at maximum
- Obscuration
- 100%
- Sun altitude
- +4.6°
- Sun azimuth
- 285.6°
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Sun direction and altitude at maximum
It was toward WNW (285.6°)
285.6° WNW
Azimuth at maximum
4.61°
Sun altitude at maximum
1.53°
Terrain horizon
+2.95°
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 Vila-real
| Peak | Elevation | Distance | Azimuth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pic d'Espadà | 1103 m | 23.9 km | 260° W |
| la Torreta | 1043.5 m | 24.2 km | 262° W |
| Picaio | 1016 m | 22.6 km | 258° WSW |
| Penya del Pastor | 991 m | 22.3 km | 258° WSW |
| Cullera | 977 m | 24.6 km | 258° WSW |
| Pic Batalla | 974 m | 20.9 km | 254° WSW |
| Alt del Pinar | 974 m | 22.9 km | 253° WSW |
| La Ereta | 959 m | 23.3 km | 254° WSW |
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The August sky
Avg. temp.
26.2°C
Max / min
30.7° / 21.6°
Precipitation
20.2 mm
Storm risk
High
Station CASTELLÓ - ALMASSORA, 3 km away · Period 1991-2020 · Source: AEMET
16%Historical average cloud cover
P25 — clearer days · 3%Median cloud cover · 16%P75 — cloudier days · 57%
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 Vila-real
- Last total eclipseAugust 12, 20260 years ago
- Last annular eclipseNovember 11, 1901125 years ago
- 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 Vila-real
Was the eclipse of August 12, 2026 visible from Vila-real?
Yes — Vila-real was inside the totality path and the horizon allowed the total phase to be fully visible.
What time was the eclipse maximum in Vila-real?
Maximum occurred at 20:32 local time (18:32 UTC) in Vila-real.
Which direction was the Sun in during the eclipse from Vila-real?
The Sun was toward the WNW (azimuth 286°), 5° above the horizon at maximum from Vila-real.
How long did totality last in Vila-real?
Totality lasted 1 min 28 s in Vila-real (C2 to C3). (corrected for the Moon's limb profile)
Was Vila-real a good place to watch the eclipse?
Vila-real 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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