Eclipse 12 Aug 2026 · 20:27
Zarautz
43.284°, -2.170° · 6 m a.s.l.
99.8% of the Sun covered at maximum
Marginal · score 37/100 Sun at +8° · 283° WNW
Marginal: only 0.64° between the Sun and the local skyline at peak.
Partial eclipse · 99.8% obscuration
ZARAUTZ · 43.284° N -2.170° W
Photo: Turismo Gipuzkoa · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
In Zarautz, the Moon covered 99.8% of the Sun.
At 20:27 local time, the Moon took a bite out of the Sun over Zarautz, covering up to 99.8% of its disc. It didn't become a total or annular eclipse: the Sun kept shining throughout.
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 23/ 100
Blocked by terrain
See the eclipse from Zarautz minute by minute
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About Zarautz
Zarautz is a coastal municipality on the Gipuzkoan coast, located in the Basque Country just metres above sea level. With a population of just over 22,600 inhabitants, it occupies a cove open to the Bay of Biscay, flanked by cliffs and one of the longest beaches in Gipuzkoa. The town received its charter in 1237 and has retained a strong maritime character that today coexists with its reputation as a surfing and tourist destination.
For this eclipse
The eclipse of 12 August 2026 will be seen from Zarautz as a partial eclipse. Maximum occurs at 20:27 local time, when the Sun will be just 7.8 degrees above the horizon, with a margin of 1.9 degrees above the terrain line. The lunar coverage will be notable, but observation requires a completely unobstructed western horizon: any building, hill or low cloud could prevent seeing the phenomenon at the most striking moment.
The weather in August
August in Zarautz follows the pattern of Cantabrian oceanic climate: average temperature of 20.7 °C, highs around 24 °C and nocturnal lows of about 17 °C. Average monthly precipitation reaches 55 mm, and the risk of thunderstorms at this time of year is high, especially in the afternoons. Overcast or partly cloudy skies are frequent, though summer allows sunny intervals that may coincide with the eclipse time. (Data: AEMET, 1991-2020 series.)
Past eclipses
The last eclipse of significance recorded from Zarautz was an annular eclipse on 1 April 1764, more than 260 years ago. On that occasion the Moon covered approximately 87% of the Sun's disk, with several minutes of annularity in the area. After the 2026 eclipse, we must wait until 27 February 2082 to witness from this stretch of the Cantabrian coast another annular eclipse of comparable magnitude.
Direction and altitude of the Sun
At the moment of maximum, the Sun will be 7.8 degrees high and with an azimuth of 283 degrees, that is, in the west-northwest direction of the sky. From Zarautz beach that means orienting yourself almost perpendicular to the coast and turning slightly towards the north. The star will already be very close to the sea horizon, which requires finding an observation point with clear sightlines in that direction, free from any structure or terrain feature.
Editorial text by eclipses.app · Data: Wikidata, AEMET, NASA and JPL planetary ephemerides.
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The eclipse from Zarautz
In Zarautz, the eclipse reached its maximum at 20:27 local time, with 99.8% of the Sun covered by the Moon.
In Zarautz, the Sun was 8° 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 40% 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 Zarautz
Local time · Europe/Madrid| Phase | Local time | UTC | Progress | Sun alt. | Sun az. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C1 — Partial begins | 19:31:49 | 17:31:49 UTC | +17.7° | 273.9° | |
| Maximum | 20:27:27 | 18:27:27 UTC | +7.7° | 283.2° | |
| The Sun sets behind the terrain(terrain event, not an eclipse phase) | 20:31 | 18:31 UTC | +7.2° | 283.7° | |
| C4 — Partial endsnot visible | 21:19:43 | 19:19:43 UTC | -0.8° | 292.0° |
Phases marked with ⛰️ were not seen: the Sun was already hidden behind the real terrain at that moment.
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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
- 43.2844° N
- Longitude
- 2.1699° W
- Elevation
- 6 m
Eclipse phases
- Eclipse begins
- 19:31:49
- Maximum
- 20:27:27
- Eclipse ends
- 21:19:43
- Sunset (flat horizon)
- 21:16:06
Duration
- Eclipse
- 1h 47m 53s
Values at maximum
- Obscuration
- 99.8%
- Sun altitude
- +7.7°
- Sun azimuth
- 283.2°
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Sun direction and altitude at maximum
It was toward WNW (283.2°)
283.2° WNW
Azimuth at maximum
7.74°
Sun altitude at maximum
7.11°
Terrain horizon
+0.64°
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 Zarautz
| Peak | Elevation | Distance | Azimuth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hernio | 1078 m | 12.8 km | 174° S |
| Hernio | 1077 m | 12.8 km | 174° S |
| Aizpel | 1068 m | 13.2 km | 172° S |
| Portumatza | 1049 m | 12.5 km | 175° S |
| Erlo | 1029.7 m | 12.5 km | 226° SW |
| Erlokurutz | 1026 m | 12.8 km | 225° SW |
| Ubeltz | 1017 m | 14.3 km | 169° S |
| Herniozabal | 1011 m | 14.6 km | 166° SSE |
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The August sky
Avg. temp.
20.7°C
Max / min
24.3° / 17°
Precipitation
55 mm
Storm risk
High
Station ZUMAIA, 7 km away · Period 1991-2020 · Source: AEMET
40%Historical average cloud cover
P25 — clearer days · 11%Median cloud cover · 40%P75 — cloudier days · 76%
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 Zarautz
- Last annular eclipseApril 1, 1764262 years ago
- Next annular eclipseFebruary 27, 2082
Solar eclipses computed from astronomical ephemerides for the city's coordinates.
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Frequently asked questions about the eclipse in Zarautz
Was the eclipse of August 12, 2026 visible from Zarautz?
Yes, but marginally: with 99.8% obscuration, the topographic horizon from Zarautz was very close to the Sun's altitude at the end.
What time was the eclipse maximum in Zarautz?
Maximum occurred at 20:27 local time (18:27 UTC) in Zarautz.
Which direction was the Sun in during the eclipse from Zarautz?
The Sun was toward the WNW (azimuth 283°), 8° above the horizon at maximum from Zarautz.
Was Zarautz a good place to watch the eclipse?
Zarautz could see the eclipse with limitations (score 37/100): terrain, geometry, or climatology added risk. A higher-scored viewpoint would have been preferable.
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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