12 August 2026 · 20:27 CEST

Night will fall twice.

The first total solar eclipse visible from mainland Spain since 1905. The Moon's shadow enters through Galicia around 20:27, crosses the north of the country at sunset, and exits toward the Mediterranean and the Balearic Islands before 20:35, with the Sun only 2°–12° above the horizon.

--d--h--m--s
20:17 — 20:34 CEST

The shadow crosses Spain in seventeen minutes.

A path about 290 km wide sweeps across northern Spain at sunset. Within it, 3,963 municipalities will see the solar disk completely covered.

20:26 CEST — Asturias and Galicia

It enters along the Asturias-Galicia coast.

The first point of contact with land is Gozón (Asturias): totality begins there at 20:26:36 and lasts 104 seconds. In A Coruña it begins half a minute later, at 20:27:35, and lasts 76 seconds. The Sun is already very low, 10–12° above the horizon.

Path of the umbra

Straight on toward the southeast.

The Moon's shadow moves across the Earth's surface at over 3,000 km/h — far faster than the rotation of the subsolar point itself. Scrub to follow its real advance from Galicia to the meseta.

Meseta — Burgos and Zaragoza

1m 50s of totality in El Franco, Asturias.

The point of longest duration over Spanish territory. Burgos is the province with the most municipalities in the path (371), followed by Guadalajara, Zaragoza and Teruel. The amber gradient marks the real duration, from edge to core.

20:33 CEST — Mediterranean

It exits through Castellón, Valencia and the Balearic Islands.

Palma sees totality; Madrid and Barcelona fall outside the path and will see a very deep partial eclipse, without the Sun ever being fully covered.

Free mode

Explore the whole path with your own hands.

Let go of the camera: drag to rotate, scroll to zoom, middle or right button to pan. The time slider moves through the 277 real positions of the shadow.

Search

Your municipality

Search among Spain's 8,131 municipalities. You'll see the real 3D terrain around your location, where the Sun will be at the key moment, and an estimate of whether the terrain relief might block it.

Prefer a list? See your municipality's timings page →

Key figures

The eclipse in numbers

Figures derived from the IGN's official municipality table and the geographic layers of the IGN eclipse viewer.

1m 50s
Maximum duration of totality in Spain (El Franco, Asturias)
2°–12°
Range of the Sun's altitude above the horizon within the path
500–660 km
Width of the path on the ground (widens toward the southeast as the Sun gets lower; E–W cross-section over the official IGN outline)
1,03
Eclipse magnitude within the path of totality
3.963
Of Spain's 8,131 municipalities will see totality (31 provinces)
2 ago 2027
Next total eclipse visible from southern Spain
Data: IGN · eclipses.ign.es

Cities with official IGN data

CityTotalityMaximumDurationSun altitudeAzimuthScore
Data: IGN municipality table (eclipses.ign.es). Local times, referenced to each municipality's reference point.
Fun facts

Fun facts about the 2026 eclipse

Climatology 1996–2025

Will the sky be clear?

The eclipse arrives at sunset with the Sun very low, so clouds to the west matter just as much as being inside the path. Thirty 12ths of August of meteorological reanalysis (1996–2025) draw a clear pattern: the further southeast and closer to the Mediterranean, the better the odds of clear skies.

On the coast of Valencia and in Ibiza, 12 August has dawned clear in 23 of 30 years (77%), with average cloud cover of only 19–22%. It's the safest bet along the entire path of totality.

At the opposite end, the mountainous interior of Asturias and Lugo — right where the shadow enters Spain — has only been clear 1 of 30 years (3%), with average cloud cover of 61–69%. It is, by far, the stretch with the highest risk of clouds.

Between these two extremes, the eastern meseta and the Ebro valley — Zaragoza, Teruel, Guadalajara — offer a solid bet: between 15 and 18 of 30 years clear (50–60%), with average cloud cover of 26–29%. But the advantage fades quickly moving north: in Burgos, already on the edge of humid Spain, the share drops to 7 of 30 clear years (23%) and average cloud cover rises to 47%.

The map above has a "Will it be clear?" layer with this same data draped over the terrain. But the municipality search gives the exact figure for your observation point, not the average of a 25 km grid cell.

Climatology: ERA5 reanalysis 1996–2025, 29 Jul–26 Aug window.
Eye safety

How to watch the eclipse without damaging your eyes

Looking directly at the Sun, even during a partial eclipse, can cause serious, irreversible eye damage in seconds.

The next three eclipses

The eclipse trilogy

Spain lives through three solar eclipses in just over two years: total in 2026, total again in 2027 in the south, and annular at sunset in 2028. Each with its own path, its own municipalities and its own viewing window.

  1. 2026 · TotalT−-- days

    Night will fall twice.

    The first total solar eclipse visible from mainland Spain since 1905. The Moon's shadow enters through Galicia around 20:27, crosses the north of the country at sunset, and exits toward the Mediterranean and the Balearic Islands before 20:35, with the Sun only 2°–12° above the horizon.

    3,963 municipalities in the path31 provinces1m 50s in El Francom 1.03
    See 2026 →
  2. 2027 · TotalT−-- days

    The total eclipse of the south

    Eleven months after the 2026 eclipse, the Moon again fully covers the Sun over Spain — this time in the morning, in the far south: Cádiz, Ceuta, Málaga and Granada.

    105 municipalities in the path6 provinces4m 48s in Ceutam 1.07
    See 2027 →
  3. 2028 · AnnularT−-- days

    The ring of fire that crosses all of Spain

    The widest-reaching of the three: the annular path runs the length of Spain, from Huelva to Girona, with the Sun getting lower and lower until it sets while still eclipsed in the northeast.

    3,259 municipalities in the path29 provinces7m 12s in Almontem 0.91
    See 2028 →
12-13 August 2026

The night of the triple event

The very same night the eclipse's shadow crosses Spain at sunset, the Moon turns new —a moonless sky— just as the Perseids reach their peak (ZHR 100, 02:00-04:00 UT). Eclipse, meteor shower and Milky Way with zero moonlight, all in one night.

Source: IMO cal2026 (verified literal quote, see report)
Frequently asked questions

FAQ

When is the 2026 total solar eclipse in Spain?

On 12 August 2026, the first total solar eclipse visible from mainland Spain since 1905. Totality crosses the north of the country at sunset, between 20:27 and 20:34 local time depending on the city.

Which parts of Spain will see the total eclipse?

3,963 of Spain's 8,131 municipalities, across 31 provinces, will see totality. The path enters through Galicia and crosses diagonally toward the Mediterranean, passing near Oviedo, Santander, Bilbao, Burgos and Zaragoza, and exiting through Castellón, Valencia and the Balearic Islands. Look up your municipality in the section above.

Is it safe to look at the eclipse directly?

No, except during the exact seconds of totality within the path. The rest of the time, certified ISO 12312-2 eclipse glasses are essential.

How long does totality last?

It varies by location: from a few seconds near the edge of the path up to a maximum of 1 minute 50 seconds (110s) in El Franco, Asturias.

Can the terrain block the Sun in my town?

With the Sun so low (2°–12°), it's a real question. In the "Your municipality" section we calculate an estimate comparing the Sun's altitude with the angle of the horizon to the west, using the IGN's official digital terrain model. It's an estimate: it doesn't account for trees or buildings.

What if it's cloudy?

Clouds can block the view even inside the path of totality. Every municipality page in the sky atlas shows 30-year historical averages for cloud cover and clear-sky probability on 12 August — a statistical estimate, not a forecast for the day itself.

When are the next eclipses?

A total solar eclipse crosses southern Spain on 2 August 2027, and an annular "ring of fire" eclipse crosses the whole country at sunset on 26 January 2028.

Can I look directly at the eclipse during totality?

Yes, but only during the exact seconds of totality, when the Sun's disk is completely covered — that's the only moment it's safe to remove your eclipse glasses. Put them back on immediately as soon as the first sliver of sunlight reappears.