The Sun will be completely covered by the Moon on August 12, 2026. It will be night in broad daylight; a spectacular and unforgettable astronomical phenomenon that, after many years, will be possible to enjoy from Spain. A golden age of solar eclipses begins in Spain and, although the event is still far away, it is best to write it down as soon as possible to reserve this date in our vital calendar.
It is not an event that occurs often and the solar eclipse of 2026 is quite unique for several reasons. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, thus completely or partially blocking the image of the Sun from Earth.
What we will see exactly is how the Moon begins to overlap the Sun as if it is taking a ‘bite’. This bite will seem to get bigger and bigger, until it fills the entire solar disk, which will be completely covered by the Moon. From then on, the Sun will gradually recover ground until the terrestrial satellite withdraws completely and exposes it again.
The details of the eclipse
The 2026 total solar eclipse is going to be specific for several reasons. One of them is its geometry . The main factor, which decides on the nature of the trajectory of totality observed (or not) from the Earth’s surface, is Gamma. The Gamma factor describes how the lunar (or Earth’s) shadow falls on the other body against its central alignment. If the radius of the Earth counts approximately 6,378 km (at the equator), it will mean that for the value of Gamma 0.01, the shadow hits the Earth about 64 km north of the center of the planet. The center of the planet is the point where the Sun is observed approximately above.
Thus, the total solar eclipse of 2026 will occur in the northern hemisphere and almost the entire event will take place during the afternoon hours . This is the most prominent feature of this eclipse.
In which Spanish cities will it look better?
Among the cities in Spain where you can see the total solar eclipse in all its splendor are: A Coruña, Gijón, Oviedo, Santander, Valladolid, Vitoria, Zaragoza, Bilbao, Valencia, Castellón, Tarragona or the Balearic Islands. Neither in Madrid nor in Barcelona will the totality be seen, although they will be able to appreciate the eclipse. Approximately 45% of the entire Spanish territory will be covered by this incredible phenomenon.
The Greatest Eclipse Point, that is, the point with the longest duration of totality, will occur in Iceland, specifically off the west coast of Iceland, with a duration of 2 minutes and 9 seconds in totality. In general, the best places on the planet to see the eclipse will be: the Arctic, Greenland, Iceland and Spain (northern Spain, above all), which will be the areas where the totality of it will be experienced.
In the world of astronomy , a total solar eclipse is one of the most fabulous spectacles of nature and can be a great pretext to promote tourism in a scientific way, as well as promote the development of sustainable tourism.
The recommendation for this day is to observe it from a point of view without obstacles such as buildings, trees or mountains on the horizon. The phenomenon will begin late in the afternoon of August 12, 2026, that is, when the Sun will already be low on the horizon , so it is best to take the opportunity to go to a plain without elevations or to have the Sun in sight. horizon of the sea for a moment as historic as this.
The following year, in 2027, the second total eclipse will arrive. It will be on August 2, also at sunset and, as it will also take place in the middle of summer, the weather conditions will not prevent its perfect observation. Although if what we are looking for is a total solar eclipse of these same characteristics, visible from Spain, we will not have it until 2059.
Referencia: Instituto Astrofísica Canarias, NASA Solar System Exploration, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Meeus J., Grosjean C.C., Vanderleen W., 1966, Canon of Solar Eclipses, Pergamon Press, Oxford, United Kingdom
Espenak F., Meeus J., 2006, Five Millennium Canon of Solar Eclipses: -1999 to +3000 (2000 BCE to 3000 CE), NASA Tech. Pub. 2006-214141, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland
Bone N., 1999, Observing Meteors, Comets, Supernovae and other Transient Phenomena, Springer-Verlag, London
