How high will the sun be during the August 12, 2026 eclipse?

It depends on your longitude: about 12° above the horizon in A Coruña, 10° in Oviedo, 8° in Burgos and Bilbao, 6° in Zaragoza, 4.6° in Valencia and only 2.6° in Palma de Mallorca. Maximum eclipse happens between 20:27 and 20:32 CEST, roughly an hour before sunset.

Will mountains actually block the eclipse in Spain?

In many places, yes. At 8° of sun altitude, any ridge that rises more than about 140 m per kilometre of distance hides the sun completely. Valley floors east of a ridge, north-facing valleys of the Cantabrian range, and inland Mallorca behind the Tramuntana are the classic traps.

What direction does my horizon need to be clear?

West-northwest. The eclipsed sun sits at azimuth 279–287° everywhere in Spain — between due west and WNW. Your eastern and southern horizons are irrelevant for the eclipse itself.

How can I check whether my exact spot has a clear view?

Open Heliora at your location with the eclipse date — it ray-casts the real terrain horizon from elevation data for your exact coordinate and draws the sun's path over it in a 3D sky view. If the sun is above the silhouette at totality time, you are clear. It is free, browser-based, and takes about 30 seconds.

Is the coast safer than the mountains?

A west-facing coastline guarantees a sea horizon at 0° — the safest possible geometry. But mountain summits and high cols work equally well, and some of the longest totality durations are at altitude. What fails is being low with terrain to your west: valley floors, east-facing slopes, and city streets with tall buildings down-sun.

What happens if a ridge blocks the sun at totality?

You still experience the darkness, the temperature drop and the 360° twilight — but you miss the corona, the diamond ring and Baily's beads, which are the entire spectacle. That is why checking your western horizon beforehand matters.

Eclipse August 12, 2026 · Planning guide

Will mountains block the sun during the 2026 eclipse?

In Spain, totality happens with the sun just 2–12° above the horizon — low enough that a hill, a ridge or an apartment block can hide it. Here is how to check any viewing spot in 30 seconds.

The total solar eclipse of August 12, 2026 crosses Spain in the last hour before sunset. Maximum eclipse comes between 20:27 and 20:32 CEST with the sun low in the west-northwest (azimuth 279–287°): about 12° above the horizon in A Coruña, 10° in Oviedo, 8° in Burgos, 6° in Zaragoza, 4.6° in Valencia and a mere 2.6° in Palma de Mallorca. At those angles the question is not whether the eclipse happens — it is whether your local horizon clears it. The difference between seeing the corona and watching the sky merely go dark behind a ridge is a terrain check you can do in advance.

How low will the sun be?

City	Totality	Sun altitude	Max obstacle at 1 km	3D check
A Coruña	1m 20s	12.0°	213 m	Check →
Oviedo	1m 51s	10.3°	181 m	Check →
León	1m 48s	9.7°	171 m	Check →
Santander	1m 07s	9.0°	158 m	Check →
Bilbao	36s	8.3°	145 m	Check →
Burgos	1m 47s	8.3°	146 m	Check →
Zaragoza	1m 27s	6.1°	106 m	Check →
Valencia	1m 06s	4.6°	80 m	Check →
Palma de Mallorca	1m 39s	2.6°	46 m	Check →

The last column is the hard limit: a ridge, hill or building 1 km to the west-northwest taller than this hides totality from you. Halve the distance, halve the allowance.

The 30-second rule of thumb

Divide an obstacle's height by its distance (same units) and compare against the sun's altitude at your longitude:

height ÷ distance = 0.05 — blocks the sun below ~3° (Mallorca, Valencia coast)
height ÷ distance = 0.10 — blocks the sun below ~6° (Zaragoza, the Ebro valley)
height ÷ distance = 0.18 — blocks the sun below ~10° (Asturias, León, Galicia)

Example: from Valencia the sun sits at 4.6° at totality. A 120 m ridge 1.5 km to the west gives 120 ÷ 1500 = 0.08 — right at the blocking threshold. Too close to gamble on arithmetic: check the real horizon instead.

Check your exact spot in 3D

Open Heliora at your spot

Drop a pin on your exact viewing location at heliora.app, or open any city link from the table above. The 3D sky view opens directly with the eclipse loaded for August 12, 2026.

Read the terrain horizon

The sky view draws the real mountain silhouette around you — ray-cast 360° from elevation data for your exact coordinate — with the sun's path overlaid and the eclipse timeline marked on it.

Scrub to totality (~20:30 CEST)

If the sun sits above the terrain silhouette at the marked totality time, your spot is clear. Heliora also shows the terrain-adjusted sunset — the moment the sun actually disappears behind your local ridge, not the flat-horizon time.

Check your spot in 3D — free →

Drop a pin anywhere — Heliora computes the terrain horizon from that exact point and shows whether the eclipsed sun clears it.

Mountain regions in the path

Detailed terrain guides with pre-computed vantage points:

Frequently asked questions

How high will the sun be during the August 12, 2026 eclipse?: It depends on your longitude: about 12° above the horizon in A Coruña, 10° in Oviedo, 8° in Burgos and Bilbao, 6° in Zaragoza, 4.6° in Valencia and only 2.6° in Palma de Mallorca. Maximum eclipse happens between 20:27 and 20:32 CEST, roughly an hour before sunset.
Will mountains actually block the eclipse in Spain?: In many places, yes. At 8° of sun altitude, any ridge that rises more than about 140 m per kilometre of distance hides the sun completely. Valley floors east of a ridge, north-facing valleys of the Cantabrian range, and inland Mallorca behind the Tramuntana are the classic traps.
What direction does my horizon need to be clear?: West-northwest. The eclipsed sun sits at azimuth 279–287° everywhere in Spain — between due west and WNW. Your eastern and southern horizons are irrelevant for the eclipse itself.
How can I check whether my exact spot has a clear view?: Open Heliora at your location with the eclipse date — it ray-casts the real terrain horizon from elevation data for your exact coordinate and draws the sun's path over it in a 3D sky view. If the sun is above the silhouette at totality time, you are clear. It is free, browser-based, and takes about 30 seconds.
Is the coast safer than the mountains?: A west-facing coastline guarantees a sea horizon at 0° — the safest possible geometry. But mountain summits and high cols work equally well, and some of the longest totality durations are at altitude. What fails is being low with terrain to your west: valley floors, east-facing slopes, and city streets with tall buildings down-sun.
What happens if a ridge blocks the sun at totality?: You still experience the darkness, the temperature drop and the 360° twilight — but you miss the corona, the diamond ring and Baily's beads, which are the entire spectacle. That is why checking your western horizon beforehand matters.