Total solar eclipse — 12 August 2026
Just before sunset on Tuesday 12 August 2026 the moon's shadow crosses the Balearic Islands: every one of the 234 beaches and 55 nautical spots mapped here sees a total solar eclipse, with the sun barely 1.5–2.5° above the sea. Totality lasts up to 1m 37s, and the sun later sets still more than half eclipsed.
When it happens
- Ibiza — totality from 20:32:15 CEST, up to 1m 19s; the eclipsed sun sets around 20:53
- Formentera — totality from 20:33:00 CEST, up to 51s; the eclipsed sun sets around 20:52
- Mallorca — totality from 20:30:24 CEST, up to 1m 37s; the eclipsed sun sets around 20:48
- Menorca — totality from 20:30:06 CEST, up to 1m 16s; the eclipsed sun sets around 20:44
The partial eclipse begins around 19:37 everywhere in the islands.
One rule: an open west-northwest horizon
With the sun this low, the whole event happens at azimuth ~288° — a hand's width above the water toward the sunset. A headland, an islet or a hillside in that direction hides totality completely. Every spot here is scored against that horizon: ray-traced coastline openness plus an EU-DEM terrain elevation profile toward the setting sun, combined with its exact totality duration.
Best places to watch
Ibiza
- Portinatx - es Port (Playa Porto) — totality 1m 19s at 2.8° over the horizon; clear sea horizon
- Benirràs — totality 1m 17s at 2.8° over the horizon; clear sea horizon
- Ses Balandres — totality 1m 12s at 2.9° over the horizon; clear sea horizon
- Punta Galera (sa Galera) — totality 1m 08s at 2.9° over the horizon; clear sea horizon
- Cala Salada — totality 1m 08s at 2.9° over the horizon; clear sea horizon
- Cala Gració — totality 1m 07s at 2.9° over the horizon; clear sea horizon
Formentera
- Sa Torreta (s'Espalmador) — totality 51s at 2.7° over the horizon; clear sea horizon
- Cala Bosc (s'Espalmador) — totality 51s at 2.7° over the horizon; clear sea horizon
- Punta des Borronar — totality 49s at 2.7° over the horizon; clear sea horizon
- Es Trucadors — totality 48s at 2.7° over the horizon; clear sea horizon
- Ses Illetes — totality 47s at 2.7° over the horizon; clear sea horizon
- Platgeta des Carregador — totality 46s at 2.7° over the horizon; clear sea horizon
Mallorca
- Cala en Basset — totality 1m 37s at 2.4° over the horizon; clear sea horizon
- Cala d'Estellencs — totality 1m 36s at 2.4° over the horizon; clear sea horizon
- Cala de Banyalbufar — totality 1m 36s at 2.4° over the horizon; clear sea horizon
- Port de Valldemossa — totality 1m 35s at 2.4° over the horizon; clear sea horizon
- Es Canyaret (Llucalcari) — totality 1m 35s at 2.3° over the horizon; clear sea horizon
- Es Caragol — totality 1m 35s at 1.8° over the horizon; clear sea horizon
Menorca
- Binibèquer — totality 1m 15s at 1.3° over the horizon; clear sea horizon
- Cala Santandria — totality 1m 14s at 1.7° over the horizon; clear sea horizon
- Cala en Bosch — totality 1m 16s at 1.7° over the horizon; clear sea horizon
- Son Xoriguer — totality 1m 16s at 1.7° over the horizon; clear sea horizon
- Illa de l'Aire — totality 1m 15s at 1.3° over the horizon; clear sea horizon
- Cala Blanca — totality 1m 14s at 1.7° over the horizon; clear sea horizon
Eye safety: certified eclipse glasses (ISO 12312-2) for every partial phase; only the brief totality itself is safe to watch with the naked eye.
Times computed from the NASA/GSFC Besselian elements (Espenak) for this eclipse and cross-checked against published local circumstances; terrain from EU-DEM (25 m). Open the interactive map for per-spot contact times, the horizon verdict and the sight-line toward the setting sun.