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Solar Eclipse of 12 August 2026 in Portugal

Solar eclipse 2026: times and coverage, city by city

The solar eclipse of 12 August 2026 covered between 92% and 99.9% of the Sun over mainland Portugal, with 100% totality in northern Spain. This page records the start, maximum and end times in 22 cities, where 100% totality happened and how to watch a partial eclipse this deep safely.

By Elijah·UPDATED AUGUST 2026·6 MIN·OFFICIAL SOURCES
KEY FACTS
When
Wednesday, 12 August 2026, late afternoon
In Lisbon
Maximum at 19:36, 94.5% of the Sun covered
Total eclipse (100%)
Northern Spain and a 26 s strip in Montesinho (Bragança)
Protection
ISO 12312-2 certified glasses, at all times
▾
QUARTA-FEIRA, 12 DE AGOSTO DE 2026
SOL COBERTO NO MÁXIMO
94.5%
INÍCIO18:39
MÁXIMO19:36
FIM20:29
PÔR DO SOL20:34
No máximo, o Sol está apenas a ~10° acima do horizonte, a oeste-noroeste. Escolha um sítio sem prédios, serras ou árvores para o lado do poente.
Nunca olhe para o Sol sem óculos de eclipse certificados ISO 12312-2. Óculos de sol não protegem, mesmo com o Sol baixo e fraco.

How this works

Mainland Portugal saw a very deep partial eclipse in the late afternoon of Wednesday, 12 August 2026: between 92% and 99.9% of the Sun covered, with the Sun already low and heading for sunset. It was the deepest eclipse visible from Portugal since 1912. This page stays up as a reference record: here is what happened, step by step, and where to catch the next ones.

  1. 1
    The Moon starts covering the Sun (18:34 to 18:43)
    On the mainland, first contact happens between 18:34 (Braga, Bragança, Viana do Castelo) and 18:43 (Faro). In Madeira at 18:50 and in the Azores around 17:35 (Azores local time, UTC+0). For the first half hour you barely notice it with the naked eye: that is why so many people end up staring at the Sun, which is dangerous from the very first minute.
  2. 2
    Maximum: between 19:31 and 19:39
    At maximum, the Moon covers between 92.4% (Portimão) and 99.9% (Bragança) of the solar disc on the mainland, about 77% in Madeira and 76% in the Azores. The light turns strange and greyish, the temperature drops and birds go quiet. Even so, the sliver of Sun that remains is still dangerous to look at.
  3. 3
    In the South, the Sun sets while still eclipsed
    In Castelo Branco, Portalegre, Évora, Setúbal, Beja, Faro and Portimão, the Sun sets before the Moon fully leaves the disc: the eclipse never ends above the horizon. It makes for a rare «bitten» sunset, but you need a completely clear western horizon.
  4. 4
    In Spain, night falls for a minute
    The path of totality crosses northern Spain between 20:26 and 20:32 (Spanish time, 1 hour ahead of mainland Portugal). There the Moon covers the Sun 100%: it gets dark, stars come out and the solar corona appears. It is the first total eclipse over mainland Spain since 1905 and over mainland Portugal since 1912.

Times and coverage for the 22 cities

Every district capital plus Madeira and the Azores, ordered by how much of the Sun disappears. Times are local; the Azores run 1 hour behind the mainland. Where the end column shows «at sunset», the Sun goes down before the eclipse is over.

CIDADESUN COVEREDSTARTSMAXIMUMENDSSUNSET
Bragança99.9%18:3419:3120:2420:31
Vila Real99.0%18:3519:3220:2520:34
Braga98.8%18:3419:3120:2520:37
Viana do Castelo98.7%18:3419:3120:2520:39
Guarda98.3%18:3619:3320:2620:30
Porto98.2%18:3519:3220:2520:37
Viseu98.1%18:3619:3320:2620:33
Aveiro97.6%18:3619:3320:2620:36
Castelo Branco97.2%18:3819:34at sunset20:30
Coimbra97.1%18:3719:3420:2720:34
Portalegre96.5%18:3919:35at sunset20:29
Leiria96.2%18:3819:3420:2820:35
Santarém95.6%18:3919:3520:2820:34
Évora95.1%18:4019:36at sunset20:29
Lisbon94.5%18:3919:3620:2920:34
Setúbal94.4%18:4019:36at sunset20:33
Beja94.3%18:4119:37at sunset20:28
Faro92.7%18:4319:39at sunset20:27
Portimão92.4%18:4219:39at sunset20:29
Funchal (Madeira)77.4%18:5019:4720:4020:55
Ponta Delgada (Açores)76.9%17:3718:3819:3420:39
Angra do Heroísmo (Açores)76.4%17:3418:3619:3320:47

Bragança city stays at 99.9%: real totality (100%) only happens in a narrow strip of the Montesinho Natural Park, on the Spanish border.

Where to see 100%: Montesinho and northern Spain

The only piece of Portuguese mainland inside the path of totality is a strip of the Montesinho Natural Park by the villages of Rio de Onor and Guadramil, north of Bragança: about 26 seconds of total eclipse at 19:30. Access on the day is restricted (fire-risk rules moved the public programme to the Bragança municipal aerodrome), so do not count on just driving up. The comfortable option is Spain, 1 hour ahead of Portugal, where totality crosses the north of the country between 20:26 and 20:32 local time:

CITY (SPAIN)TOTALITY STARTS (LOCAL)DURATION
A Coruña20:271 min 15 s
Oviedo20:271 min 48 s
Gijón20:271 min 45 s
Santander20:271 min 03 s
Bilbao20:2730 s · at the edge of the path
Burgos20:281 min 45 s
Valladolid20:301 min 28 s
Zaragoza20:291 min 25 s
Palma de Mallorca20:311 min 30 s · Sun 2° above the horizon

From Porto or Braga, count on ~3 hours by car to A Coruña or Lugo (all of Lugo province is inside the path), or ~2h40 from Braga to the Valdeorras area of Ourense (O Barco de Valdeorras, up to ~1 min 50 s of totality). Madrid and Barcelona stay outside the path: 99.9% partial, impressive but not dark. One warning the eclipse-weather specialists repeat: August cloud statistics favour inland Spain (Burgos, the Ebro valley around Zaragoza) over the Cantabrian coast. And everywhere, the Sun will be very low, so scout a west-northwest horizon with nothing in the way. In eastern Spain (Zaragoza, Valencia, Palma) the Sun sets before the partial phase finishes.

Where to watch in Portugal on the day

The rule beats the venue: an open western horizon matters more than the place itself. West-facing beaches and clifftops (Cabo da Roca, Cabo Espichel, Praia do Meco, Comporta), miradouros (viewpoints) with a clear view of the sunset, or open plains all work. Ciência Viva’s map lists hundreds of registered observation events; a few worth knowing:

  • Bragança, aeródromo municipal: o grande evento nacional, a partir das 16:00, com telescópios filtrados e distribuição de óculos. O eclipse mais profundo de qualquer cidade portuguesa (99,9%).
  • Cabo da Roca (Sintra): o terreiro do farol abriu às 17:00, bilhete de 5 euros com óculos de eclipse incluídos, e o Atlântico como horizonte oeste.
  • Zona de Lisboa, grátis: Miradouro do Alto do Penedo (Amadora) a partir das 18:00, organizado pela câmara municipal.
  • Algarve, grátis: Parque Ribeirinho em Faro e Praia do Barril em Tavira, ambos a partir das 18:30, pelos centros Ciência Viva locais. Aqui o Sol põe-se ainda eclipsado, sobre o mar.
  • Alentejo: Observatório do Lago Alqueva (Monsaraz) a partir das 17:45, com telescópios (20 euros, 10 para menores de 16), numa das regiões de céu mais escuro da Europa.
  • Porto: Time Out Market a partir das 18:00, óculos grátis enquanto durou o stock. O próprio Planetário do Porto passa um filme imersivo durante o dia mas não faz observação no local (tem o horizonte oeste tapado).

The full map with hundreds of events, district by district, is on the official portal: eclipse2026.pt/acoes. Many handed out certified glasses while stocks lasted.

How to watch without hurting your eyes

One rule, no exceptions: during the entire partial phase, in every corner of Portugal, looking at the Sun requires ISO 12312-2 certified eclipse glasses. The DGS (health authority) warning is worth quoting because the trap is real: near sunset the light fades and «can create the false feeling that it is safe to look directly at the Sun». It is not. The infrared and ultraviolet radiation that burns the retina still gets through, the burn is painless, and the damage shows up hours or days later. Children should only watch with close supervision, and babies and small children should not look directly at all, even with glasses: for them, use projection.

  • Serve: óculos ISO 12312-2 (verifique a marcação impressa e se a película está intacta); um furo de alfinete numa cartolina a projetar no chão ou numa caixa de sapatos; a sombra de um escorredor ou dos dedos entrelaçados; os crescentes projetados debaixo de uma árvore frondosa.
  • Não serve: óculos de sol (mesmo vários), vidro fumado, radiografias, CDs, o ecrã do telemóvel como espelho, nuvens como «filtro». Nenhum bloqueia a radiação que interessa.
  • As óticas multiplicam o perigo: nunca aponte binóculos, telescópio ou teleobjetiva ao Sol sem filtro solar próprio montado à frente. E não use os óculos de eclipse atrás de óticas sem filtro; não aguentam luz concentrada.
  • Sintomas depois de observar (visão turva ou distorcida, manchas escuras, cores alteradas): ligue ao SNS 24, 808 24 24 24.

Frequently asked

What time is the solar eclipse of 12 August 2026 in Portugal?
On the mainland the eclipse starts between 18:34 and 18:43, peaks between 19:31 and 19:39 and ends around 20:24 to 20:29 (in the cities where the Sun does not set first). In Lisbon: start 18:39, maximum 19:36. In Porto: start 18:35, maximum 19:32. In Madeira the maximum is at 19:47; in the Azores at 18:36 to 18:38, Azores local time. Pick your city in the tool above for exact times.
Is the 2026 eclipse total in Portugal?
Almost. The path of totality only touches mainland Portugal in a narrow slice of the Montesinho Natural Park, by Rio de Onor and Guadramil (Bragança municipality), where totality lasts about 26 seconds, at 19:30. Everywhere else it is a very deep partial eclipse: 99.9% in Bragança city, 98.2% in Porto, 94.5% in Lisbon, 92.7% in Faro. Careful: 99% is not 100%. Only inside the totality path can you look without protection, and only during those seconds.
Can I watch the eclipse with dark sunglasses?
No. The DGS (Direção-Geral da Saúde, the health authority) is explicit: ordinary sunglasses, dark lenses, X-ray film, smoked glass or any improvised material do not protect you. Near sunset, the dimmer light «can create the false feeling that it is safe to look directly at the Sun», but the radiation that burns the retina still gets through. Damage can appear hours or days later, with no pain at the time. Use only ISO 12312-2 certified glasses. If you notice blurred vision, dark spots or vision loss after watching, call SNS 24: 808 24 24 24.
Where can I buy certified eclipse glasses in Portugal?
Look for the «ISO 12312-2» marking printed on the glasses. In August 2026 there are several options: pharmacies and opticians (the Club da Visão network gives them away free with registration, while stock lasts), ALDI supermarkets (about 1 euro), online astronomy shops, and the Ciência Viva centres and planetariums, which hand them out at many viewing events. Without glasses, use projection: a pinhole in a piece of card projects the Sun onto the ground or into a shoebox, with your back to the Sun. Never look through the pinhole.
Where can I see 100% totality? Is a trip to Spain worth it?
The path of totality crosses northern Spain: Galicia (A Coruña, Lugo), Asturias (Oviedo, Gijón), Cantabria, Burgos, Valladolid, Zaragoza, Valencia and Palma de Mallorca, between 20:26 and 20:32 Spanish time. Madrid and Barcelona are outside it (99.9%, partial). From Porto or Braga, the nearest «comfortable» totality is about a 3 hour drive (Lugo, A Coruña, or the Valdeorras area of Ourense, ~2h40 from Braga). The weather odds favour inland spots (Burgos, the Ebro valley) over the Cantabrian coast, which gets more August cloud. With the Sun this low, pick a spot with a completely open west-northwest horizon.
What if it is cloudy on the 12th?
With the Sun only 8 to 12 degrees up, a single band of cloud near the horizon could hide everything, even under an otherwise clear sky. In August the coast carries more risk of late-afternoon wind and cloud than the interior: anyone stuck under cloud on the coast who drove inland had better odds. Even through cloud, the darkening was still noticeable, and Ciência Viva and RTP broadcast the eclipse live from Bragança.
Can I photograph the eclipse with my phone?
Only with a solar filter in front of the lens, for the whole partial phase: without one you risk damaging the camera sensor, and your eyes if you are framing the shot directly. A cheap trick: cut a lens out of certified eclipse glasses and tape it over your phone camera. Never point binoculars, telephoto lenses or telescopes at the Sun without a proper front-mounted solar filter: they concentrate the light and burn the retina in an instant.
When is the next solar eclipse visible from Portugal?
The next show comes as soon as 28 August 2026, but it belongs to the Moon: a very deep partial lunar eclipse, visible across the whole country before dawn, no glasses needed. As for the Sun: on 2 August 2027 there is another total eclipse, in the morning, with totality across the far south of Spain (Cádiz, Málaga, Ceuta) and a partial in Portugal. Then on 26 January 2028 an annular eclipse (the «ring of fire») crosses the Algarve and Madeira in the late afternoon. The next totality over Portuguese territory, though, only comes on 26 October 2144, in the Azores. That is what made 2026 special: the last total eclipse over mainland Portugal had been in 1912.
OFFICIAL SOURCES
DISCLAIMER
Times are local civil time for each city centre, rounded to the minute; a few kilometres away they shift slightly. Percentages are the fraction of the Sun's disc area covered at maximum (obscuration), computed by timeanddate.com and theskylive.com and cross-checked against the official eclipse2026.pt portal. Never look at the Sun without ISO 12312-2 certified glasses: not while eclipsed, not while low, not through clouds. This page is informational and does not replace the DGS guidance. Confirm event times and capacity with the organisers.