Álava, privileged territory of the Basque Country to observe the solar eclipse of August 2026
For more than a century the entire eclise has not been seen in the Basque Country, and on the 12th of August Álava will be the most privileged territory, the special astronomical phenomenon of avita will be visible throughout the territory. However, the peak of the eclipse will be around 20:28, so the sun will be "very low" by then, and it is likely that those who do not have a clear west/northwest horizon will not see it, because the sun will be neatly hidden by then.
On August 12, a complete solar eclipse will cross part of the Iberian peninsula from A Coruña to Palma de Mallorca, passing through the Basque Country and Álava being the only territory where the eclipse will be fully visible, and visible throughout Álava.
No such phenomenon has occurred in the Basque Country for more than a hundred years.
Virginia Garcia of the Astronomy Department of the Aranzadi Science Society has explained that in Bizkaia it will be partial east of Bilbao and all west of Bizkaia, while in Gipuzkoa it will be necessary to go to Arrasate to see the eclipse as a whole. In San Sebastian, for example, it will cover 99.8% 'only' and it is not bad but it will not be complete.
At the moment of total sunshine the darkness will be complete, the day will become night , and then special spectacles can be removed to observe theeclipse, the moment of the sun's crown, as well as the stars and planets that may be around, such as Jupiter.
But as soon as the moon moves from the solar disc, the glasses will have to be put back on to see the end of the eclipse.
"This is the only point in the world that will touch the earth, and that makes it so special to us," says Garcia.
"The end of the eclipse will come to us and therefore it will be very short. It will last the most around Castile and Leon, about one minute and 40 seconds, but in Euskadi the total eclipse will only last half a minute, "he predicts.
Garcia has explained that the peak point of the A0eclipse will be around 20:28 , so the sun "will be very low" by then, and it is likely that those who do not have a clear west/northwest horizon will not see it, because the sun will be in need by then.
Knowing that in August the skies are cloudy in many parts of the Basque Country and that the eclipse is not visible throughout the territory, Garcia believes that tourism specializing in such phenomena will choose other places on the peninsula where, according to Garcia, "all hotel rooms have been exhausted for more than a year".
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