The best places to enjoy the eclipse: see how it will look from your municipality

Catalonia is preparing for the historic total solar eclipse that will take place on August 12. A phenomenon that had not occurred in our land for 121 years, but which will not be seen in its entirety everywhere. We must imagine a straight line approximately between Vilanova i la Geltrú and Lleida: the municipalities and regions located south of this line will see the sun completely hidden by the Moon, while those to the north will witness a slightly partial eclipse. In this interactive map you can discover how this spectacular phenomenon will be seen from your municipality and what will be the best areas to enjoy it to the fullest.

When and from where will the solar eclipse be visible?

To experience this astronomical phenomenon, we will have to wait until August 12, 2026, when from Lleida, Tarragona, Castellón, Valencia, Palma, and the surroundings of these cities, a total eclipse will be visible, around 8:30 PM (the exact time will depend on the location). The luckiest Catalans will be those in Ponent, Terres de l'Ebre, and the Balearic Islands: "If we imagine a line that approximately connects Lleida with Vilanova i la Geltrú, all the territory south of this line will enjoy a total eclipse. The further south, the longer the totality phase will be," explains Eduard Masana, a researcher at the Institut d'Estudis Espacials de Catalunya and the Institut de Ciències del Cosmos of the UB.

The area where the eclipse will be longest will be in Terres de l'Ebre: it will last a little over a minute and a half in places like Tortosa. Outside this strip, that is, in the northern half of Catalonia, the eclipse will be seen as partial.The path of the total eclipse will begin on the Russian coasts of the Laptev Sea, pass very close to the North Pole, and traverse Greenland. The band of totality will then descend towards the Atlantic Ocean and the Iberian Peninsula. In fact, it will cross Spain during the afternoon (local time) and end in the Balearic Islands at sunset. The specific path is determined by the positions and movements of the three celestial bodies involved in the phenomenon: the Sun, the Moon, and the Earth.

What exactly is a total solar eclipse

This type of phenomenon occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth and completely blocks the star's face. When we are in the center of the Moon's shadow, the sky darkens completely and, if weather conditions permit, the Sun's corona can be seen (a sight that leaves spectacular images). Masana specifies that within the path of totality "it does not get completely dark": "We receive light, through the atmosphere, from areas outside this path where the eclipse is not total. In any case, the darkness is great enough for some of the brightest stars and planets in the sky to become visible."

It should be remembered that the totality of this eclipse will only last about a minute, but even so, it is important to distinguish very well between the phases of partiality and totality. During partiality, when the Moon has not yet completely covered the Sun, you cannot look directly without something to protect your eyes. Looking directly at the Sun can cause retinal damage, which is why approved filters must be used, which can be purchased at opticians or astronomy stores: "Whenever a part of the sun's surface is visible, even if it is very small, we must look with protective glasses. Failure to do so could result in serious eye injuries that may become irreversible," warns the IECC researcher.

During totality, on the other hand, we should look directly at the sun if we want to enjoy the view of the eclipsed sun (the solar corona, the prominences, the stars, the darkness of the environment,...), since with glasses we would see nothing. Now, we must be careful to protect our eyes again the moment partiality returns.

When will we see each other again?

This astronomical phenomenon in Catalonia will be unique: we will not see a total eclipse again until November 17, 2180, in more than 150 years! Even so, we will not have to wait long to witness another extraordinary event: we will have 3 eclipses in consecutive years. In August 2027 there will be another total solar eclipse that will only be visible in the south of the Peninsula, and in February 2028 we will have an annular eclipse that we will see in Catalonia. In these eclipses the moon has a size that is not large enough to cover the entirety of the sun, and what we see is a "ring of sun".