Three Solar Eclipses over Spain: 2026, 2027, 2028

Between August 2026 and January 2028, Spain will pass through the Moon's shadow three times. No other country in Europe gets this sequence. Two total eclipses and one annular eclipse, each crossing a different part of Spain, each with distinct photographic conditions, each worth planning for years in advance.

This is not hype. The alignment of orbital geometry that puts three eclipses over the same country in eighteen months is rare. France had a total eclipse in 1999 and won't have another until 2081. The next time any part of the Iberian Peninsula sees a total solar eclipse after 2027 is decades away.

The three eclipses:

• August 12, 2026 — Total, northern Spain, late afternoon (20:26 CEST near totality)
• August 2, 2027 — Total, far southern Spain, mid-morning (10:46 CEST)
• January 26, 2028 — Annular, central/southern Spain, winter light

Each one is photographically distinct. The 2026 eclipse happens at sunset angle. The 2027 eclipse is the longest total eclipse of the 21st century as seen from a fixed land point, reaching 4 minutes 39 seconds at Tarifa. The 2028 annular eclipse produces the "ring of fire" — an effect that requires completely different photographic technique from a total.

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Eclipse 1: August 12, 2026 — Total, Northern Spain

The 2026 eclipse is the one most of Spain will see first. The path of totality enters Spain over Galicia and Cantabria around 19:30 CEST, sweeps east-southeast across Burgos, León, Aragón, and reaches the Valencian coast around 20:32 CEST before moving into the Balearic Islands.

Path cities and durations:

City	Totality	Time (CEST)
A Coruña	~1m 50s	19:32
León	~1m 45s	20:17
Burgos	~1m 43s	20:23
Bilbao	~30s	20:27
Zaragoza	~1m 24s	20:28
Valencia	~1m 00s	20:32

The eclipse happens about an hour before sunset, which creates an unusual photographic situation. The Sun will be roughly 8–12° above the horizon during totality in most of the northern Spain corridor. Low angle, long shadows, warm pre-sunset light in the partial phases — conditions that experienced eclipse photographers plan specifically for.

Madrid and Barcelona are outside the path of totality (partial coverage around 95–98%), but close enough that driving north will be feasible for many photographers.

Maximum duration: approximately 2 minutes 18 seconds at the centerline, which passes through the seas and coastline between mainland Spain and the Balearics.

This is the eclipse most photographers in northern Spain will shoot. The Burgos–Zaragoza corridor offers the best combination of totality duration, road access, and inland sky reliability (less coastal cloud risk than the Galician coast).

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Eclipse 2: August 2, 2027 — Total, Southern Spain

This is the one the astronomical community calls the eclipse of the century, and the numbers justify it. The maximum duration of totality, near Luxor in Egypt, reaches 6 minutes 22 seconds — one of the longest totalities of the entire 21st century. In Spain, the numbers are smaller but still extraordinary.

The path enters mainland Spain at its southernmost tip: Tarifa, Algeciras, and the Strait of Gibraltar. It then sweeps east along the Andalusian coast, covering Cádiz, parts of Málaga, Gibraltar (British territory), and the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla on the African coast.

Path cities and durations:

City	Totality	Time (CEST)
Tarifa	4m 39s	10:42
Algeciras	~4m 00s	10:44
Cádiz	2m 56s	10:46
Málaga	1m 48s	10:48
Melilla (enclave)	~5m 00s	10:52

The eclipse happens in the mid-morning on an August day — conditions completely unlike the 2026 eclipse. The Sun will be roughly 50–55° above the horizon during totality. That means the corona will be visible against a sky that hasn't yet shifted into sunset hues. Mid-morning eclipse photography is technically different from low-angle eclipse photography.

Tarifa, the southernmost point of mainland Spain, is the clear headline location: 4 minutes 39 seconds of totality. For context, the famous 2017 American eclipse averaged 2 minutes across the centerline. Tarifa is more than double that.

The challenge at Tarifa is wind. The Strait of Gibraltar is one of the windiest coastal areas in southern Europe. Equipment security, windbreak planning, and backup locations should all be part of pre-event preparation.

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Eclipse 3: January 26, 2028 — Annular, Central Spain

An annular eclipse is not a total eclipse. This distinction matters for photographers. During a total eclipse, the Moon completely covers the Sun's disk and the corona becomes visible. During an annular eclipse, the Moon is slightly too far from Earth to cover the disk completely, leaving a ring of photosphere visible around the Moon's silhouette.

The result is the "ring of fire" effect — dramatic in its own right, but requiring different technique. You cannot view an annular eclipse without proper solar filters (even at maximum annularity, the Sun is still 6–10% exposed and will damage unprotected eyes and camera sensors immediately).

The 2028 annular path covers a wide swath of central and southern Spain:

Path cities and ring durations:

City	Annularity	Notes
Seville	7m 15s	Near centerline
Mérida	2m 40s
Toledo	3m 02s
Aranjuez	3m 12s	Madrid area
Cartagena	1m 29s	Near southern edge

The eclipse occurs in late January — winter light in Spain. That means low sun angles (the Sun will be at roughly 25–35° altitude during annularity in Seville), golden-toned ambient light, and cold temperatures in most locations. The low angle creates compositional opportunities similar to sunset shooting, but with a ring-of-fire foreground subject.

Seville gets the longest annularity on the Iberian Peninsula: 7 minutes 15 seconds. For comparison, the 2027 total at Tarifa is 4 minutes 39 seconds. Duration-wise, the 2028 annular at Seville surpasses 2027 Tarifa — but it's a fundamentally different visual experience.

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Photography planning: what each eclipse requires

The three eclipses demand three distinct setups:

2026 (total, low-angle): Bring a wide lens for the landscape context. A 24–50mm captures totality against sunset-lit terrain. Telephoto for corona details. Horizon-level composition is viable for the first time in a European eclipse in decades. Expect dramatic land-sky contrast.

2027 (total, mid-morning): A higher solar angle means telephoto focus makes more sense. The corona will be the primary subject, not the horizon. 200–600mm range for close-up corona work. This is the eclipse to prioritize for image quality of the corona itself — the long duration means you can bracket, change focal lengths, and experiment.

2028 (annular, winter): Solar filter is non-negotiable throughout — there is no moment of true darkness. Use a Baader AstroSolar film filter on your lens. Telephoto shows the ring clearly; wide-angle captures the 85–90% dimming of the sky (notable but not dramatic) and the landscape. Low winter sun angle creates interesting foreground light possibilities.

Safety applies to all three: Never point an unfiltered camera at the Sun except during confirmed totality (2026 and 2027 only, for the seconds when the disk is fully covered). Annular eclipses like 2028 require full-time filtering.

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Plan your city

Use the city checker below to see which of the three eclipses your city will see in totality or annularity.

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Tools for planning

• Eclipse calculator — sky conditions for your location
• Solar eclipse path — calendar of all eclipses
• Golden hour tool — lighting conditions for pre/post eclipse light
• Moon planner — for checking Moon phase context around eclipse dates