Eclipse 12 Aug 2026 · 20:30
Vilanova i la Geltrú
41.224°, 1.725° · 25 m a.s.l.
0 min 13 s of night in broad daylight
Visible · score 62/100 Sun at +4° · 286° WNW
The Sun clears local terrain by 2.52° 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
19:35
☀ +14°
C2 — Totality begins
20:30
☀ +4°
Maximum
20:30
13s · 286° WNW
C4 — Partial ends
21:21
☀ -4°
VILANOVA I LA GELTRÚ · 41.224° N 1.725° E
Photo: G.M. Kowalewska · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
In Vilanova i la Geltrú, day turned to night for 0 min 13 s.
At 20:30 local time, the Moon fully covered the Sun over Vilanova i la Geltrú. For 0 min 13 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 58/ 100
Marginal visibility — depends on fine horizon
See the eclipse from Vilanova i la Geltrú minute by minute
Compare locations, save your plan and enable cloud alerts.
About Vilanova i la Geltrú
Vilanova i la Geltrú is a coastal municipality in the province of Barcelona, in Catalonia, situated on the shores of the Mediterranean about 45 kilometers southwest of the Catalan capital. With nearly 65,890 inhabitants and an average elevation of 25 meters above sea level, the city blends an open coastline with a consolidated urban fabric. Its position on the Garraf coast grants it wide horizons toward the sea, which proves relevant for observing the eclipse.
For this eclipse
On August 12, 2026, Vilanova i la Geltrú lies within the path of totality of the solar eclipse. The maximum occurs at 20:29 local time, with the Sun at the second inner contact phase (C3). At that moment the celestial body will be barely 4.1° above the horizon and at 286° azimuth, nearly west-northwest. The clearance above the topographic horizon is 2.8°: totality will be visible, but it is advisable to seek a location with an unobstructed horizon in that direction, preferably facing the sea.
The weather in August
August in Vilanova i la Geltrú is characteristically dry and stable according to AEMET data from 1991–2020. The risk of thunderstorms in that month is low, which favors observing conditions. The reference station corresponds to AEMET code 0073X. Although mean temperature and precipitation data are not available for this observatory, the typical climate pattern of the Barcelona coast in August points to predominantly clear skies during the central and late-afternoon hours of the day.
Past eclipses
The last total eclipse visible from Vilanova i la Geltrú occurred on May 12, 1706, 320 years ago, with totality lasting nearly four minutes. The last annular eclipse was recorded on November 11, 1901, 125 years ago. After the eclipses of 2026, 2027, and 2028, one must wait until July 13, 2075 for the next annular eclipse, and until November 17, 2180 for totality to occur again from this latitude.
Direction and altitude of the Sun
At the moment of maximum eclipse, the Sun will be at 286° azimuth, which corresponds to the west-northwest direction. Its height above the horizon will be barely 4.1°, very close to the sea horizon at the fall of evening. From the coastal strip of the city, with the open sea in that direction, the chances of having an unobstructed line of sight are high. Still, it is recommended to verify in advance that there are no obstacles—buildings, piers, or small elevations—in the sector spanning west to northwest.
Editorial text by eclipses.app · Data: Wikidata, AEMET, NASA and JPL planetary ephemerides.
01
The eclipse from Vilanova i la Geltrú
In Vilanova i la Geltrú, totality began at 20:30 local time and lasted 0 min 13 s, until 20:30. The eclipse maximum fell at 20:30.
In Vilanova i la Geltrú, the Sun was 4° above the horizon, toward the WNW. Even so, a clear horizon toward the WNW helped.
This area typically sees around 18% median cloud cover at that hour, based on ten years of historical data — not a forecast for this specific eclipse.
02
Take this data to your site
Embed this eclipse on your site
Generate the code to embed the eclipse widget on your hotel, town hall or blog website.
<iframe src="https://eclipses.app/embed/widget?lat=41.2239&lon=1.7251&size=standard&theme=dark&locale=en" width="320" height="340" frameborder="0" loading="lazy" title="Eclipse 2026"></iframe>03
Don't miss it
04
Eclipse schedule in Vilanova i la Geltrú
Local time · Europe/Madrid| Phase | Local time | UTC | Progress | Sun alt. | Sun az. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C1 — Partial begins | 19:35:23 | 17:35:23 UTC | +14.0° | 277.6° | |
| C2 — Totality begins | 20:29:35 | 18:29:35 UTC | +4.1° | 286.3° | |
| Maximum | 20:29:41 | 18:29:41 UTC | +4.1° | 286.3° | |
| C3 — Totality ends | 20:29:47 | 18:29:47 UTC | +4.1° | 286.3° | |
| The Sun sets behind the terrain(terrain event, not an eclipse phase) | 20:44 | 18:44 UTC | +1.7° | 288.6° | |
| C4 — Partial endsnot visible | 21:20:48 | 19:20:48 UTC | -4.5° | 294.7° |
Phases marked with ⛰️ were not seen: the Sun was already hidden behind the real terrain at that moment.
05
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
- 41.2239° N
- Longitude
- 1.7251° E
- Elevation
- 25 m
Eclipse phases
- Eclipse begins
- 19:35:23
- Totality begins
- 20:29:35
- Maximum
- 20:29:41
- Totality ends
- 20:29:47
- Eclipse ends
- 21:20:48
- Sunset (flat horizon)
- 20:56:16
Duration
- Eclipse
- 1h 45m 25s
- Totality
- 13s
Values at maximum
- Obscuration
- 100%
- Sun altitude
- +4.1°
- Sun azimuth
- 286.3°
06
Sun direction and altitude at maximum
It was toward WNW (286.3°)
286.3° WNW
Azimuth at maximum
4.11°
Sun altitude at maximum
1.57°
Terrain horizon
+2.52°
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 Vilanova i la Geltrú
| Peak | Elevation | Distance | Azimuth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Puig de la TalaiaIn the Sun's direction | 861.3 m | 24.9 km | 300° WNW |
| Clapí Vell | 704 m | 23.8 km | 320° NW |
| l'Àliga | 701 m | 23.9 km | 319° NW |
| les CambretesIn the Sun's direction | 698.9 m | 24.3 km | 306° NW |
| Turó de Can FesolIn the Sun's direction | 690.3 m | 24.8 km | 307° NW |
| Puig de la CovaIn the Sun's direction | 671.6 m | 23.2 km | 296° WNW |
| Puig del Mas de la Riera | 667.3 m | 24.9 km | 321° NW |
| Montau | 658 m | 19.0 km | 45° NE |
07
The August sky
18%Historical average cloud cover
P25 — clearer days · 3%Median cloud cover · 18%P75 — cloudier days · 65%
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 Vilanova i la Geltrú
- Last total eclipseAugust 12, 20260 years ago
- Last annular eclipseNovember 11, 1901125 years ago
- Next total eclipseNovember 17, 2180
- Next annular eclipseJuly 13, 2075
Solar eclipses computed from astronomical ephemerides for the city's coordinates.
08
Frequently asked questions about the eclipse in Vilanova i la Geltrú
Was the eclipse of August 12, 2026 visible from Vilanova i la Geltrú?
Yes — Vilanova i la Geltrú was inside the totality path and the horizon allowed the total phase to be fully visible.
What time was the eclipse maximum in Vilanova i la Geltrú?
Maximum occurred at 20:29 local time (18:29 UTC) in Vilanova i la Geltrú.
Which direction was the Sun in during the eclipse from Vilanova i la Geltrú?
The Sun was toward the WNW (azimuth 286°), 4° above the horizon at maximum from Vilanova i la Geltrú.
How long did totality last in Vilanova i la Geltrú?
Totality lasted 0 min 13 s in Vilanova i la Geltrú (C2 to C3).
Was Vilanova i la Geltrú a good place to watch the eclipse?
Vilanova i la Geltrú 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.
09