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Barcelona will see almost all the Sun disappear this Wednesday: time and best areas
This Wednesday 12 August, Barcelona will experience one of the most extraordinary sunsets of recent decades. The city will lie just outside the band of total eclipse, but the Moon will cover virtually the entire solar disc shortly before the Sun disappears over the horizon.
In the Catalan capital, the eclipse will begin at around 19:35. The moment of maximum obscuration will come at around 20:29, when the Sun will already be very low above the west-north-west horizon and only a tiny fraction of its surface will remain visible. Barcelona will not enter totality, so it will be compulsory to use eye protection throughout the phenomenon.
Those who want to experience complete darkness will have to travel south in Catalunya. The strip of totality will cross much of Tarragona and southern Lleida, with some of the best viewing points in the Terres de l'Ebre. In places such as Amposta, Alcanar or L'Aldea, the total phase may last around one minute or even a little longer.
Municipalities in Camp de Tarragona and Ponent will also enter the zone of totality. Salou, Cambrils, Altafulla, Gandesa or areas in southern Lleida will be able to watch the Sun disappear completely for a few moments. At some points in southern Tarragona, total darkness will approach a minute and a half.
The main constraint will be the Sun’s height. The eclipse maximum will arrive very close to sunset, so being within the correct strip will not be enough: it will be essential to have a completely unobstructed view to the west. Buildings, mountains or any elevated terrain could hide the Sun precisely during the most spectacular minutes.
The Generalitat has prepared different viewing points to spread the arrival of visitors and prevent improvised gatherings on roads and in forest spaces. The forecast of thousands of journeys from Barcelona to Tarragona and Lleida has also led to the strengthening of traffic, security and fire-prevention arrangements.
To look at the eclipse, it will be essential to use specific glasses certified to ISO 12312-2. Ordinary sunglasses, X-rays, smoked glass or homemade filters do not provide sufficient protection, and the Sun must not be observed through cameras, binoculars or telescopes without suitable solar filters. In Barcelona, as totality will not occur, the glasses must remain on throughout observation.
This 12 August eclipse will be particularly exceptional for Catalunya: the last total eclipse visible from the territory occurred in 1905 and another with these characteristics will not be repeated until 2180. For Barcelona, being just outside the strip of totality will mean not seeing the Sun disappear completely, but it will still mean witnessing an extraordinary fall in light just before nightfall.