On 12th August 2026, the Moon's shadow will sweep across Greenland, Iceland and northern Spain in one of the most accessible total solar eclipses of the decade. OuterSpacer Meteorites recommends the public viewing event at La Camperona, a 1,603 metre summit in the mountains of León that sits directly on the path of totality. This page brings together everything we think is worth knowing before you go: the astronomy, the event itself, and the precise timings for that exact spot.
A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes directly between the Earth and the Sun, briefly covering the Sun's bright disc and revealing the corona, its faint outer atmosphere, which is normally invisible in daylight. This happens only within a narrow path on the Earth's surface, known as the path of totality; everywhere else nearby sees a partial eclipse instead.
NASA's eclipse predictions place the path of totality for 12 August 2026 over Greenland, Iceland, and northern Spain, including the Balearic route through Cádiz and the Basque coast, with a smaller sliver crossing Portugal. A partial eclipse will be visible far more widely, across most of Europe, North Africa, and parts of eastern North America. Maximum totality along the path reaches 2 minutes 18 seconds, calculated for the point of greatest eclipse in the North Atlantic; totality is shorter the further you are from that point, including at La Camperona itself.
This will be the first total solar eclipse visible from mainland Europe since 1999, and the next won't recur there until 2027, when a much longer eclipse crosses southern Spain, North Africa and the Middle East.
Looking directly at the Sun without certified eye protection can cause permanent blindness within seconds.
Eclipse glasses and solar viewers should carry the ISO 12312-2 safety mark. It is only safe to view the Sun with the naked eye during the brief minutes of totality itself, when it is completely covered; filters must go back on the instant the first sliver of sunlight reappears.
La Camperona sits in the municipality of Sabero, in the Sabero Valley, directly beneath the path of totality, and offers one of the longest durations and highest percentages of totality observable anywhere in Spain. Its altitude, orientation and open view across the surrounding valleys make it an unusually good natural vantage point, and the near-total absence of industry and large towns nearby keeps light pollution to a minimum, ideal for the night sky observation that follows the eclipse itself.
Published by the event organisers, Sabero Town Hall and Litos.net. Admission is free, on a first-come basis until the site reaches capacity.
| Local time (CEST) | Event |
|---|---|
| 18:00 | Participant reception |
| 19:32:14 | Partial eclipse begins; talk explaining the event follows |
| 20:27:44 | Totality begins |
| 20:28:38 | Greatest eclipse |
| 20:29:32 | Totality ends |
| 21:21:30 | Partial eclipse ends |
| 22:00 | Night sky observation session |
Calculated for La Camperona's exact position, 42°53′40.78″N, 5°11′17.66″W at 1,346 m, using Xavier Jubier's eclipse calculator. Jubier is a member of the International Astronomical Union's Working Group on Solar Eclipses, and his figures line up closely with the organisers' own published times above.
| Event | Local time (CEST) | Sun altitude |
|---|---|---|
| Partial eclipse begins (C1) | 19:32:17.2 | +19.7° |
| Totality begins (C2) | 20:27:47.3 | +9.6° |
| Maximum eclipse | 20:28:41.1 | +9.5° |
| Totality ends (C3) | 20:29:34.7 | +9.3° |
| Partial eclipse ends (C4) | 21:21:33.0 | +0.2° |
| Sunset | 21:28 | −0.8° |
Totality at the summit lasts 1 minute 47.5 seconds. At maximum eclipse the Sun sits only about 9.5° above the horizon, and by the end of the partial phase it has all but reached the horizon, with sunset following roughly seven minutes later. This is exactly why La Camperona was chosen: watching the eclipse through to its end demands a genuinely clear, unobstructed view to the west-southwest, over open valleys rather than towards a ridge or treeline.
Access: Parking is available at Sotillos de Sabero, from where the summit is reached on foot, 3.3 kilometres with 400 metres of elevation gain. Visitors with reduced mobility can be driven directly to the observation area.
What to bring: Food, water, blankets or a sleeping mat, and warm clothing for the evening. There are no facilities at the summit, so plan to be self-sufficient for the day.
On-site conduct: Organisers ask that visitors take all litter away with them, keep silent during the peak of totality, avoid loudspeakers or anything that could interfere with others' observation, and keep phones on silent. The event may be altered or cancelled at short notice due to weather.
Eclipse path and duration figures are drawn from NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio and Fred Espenak's eclipse predictions (science.nasa.gov/eclipses). Precise local circumstances for La Camperona were calculated using Xavier Jubier's eclipse tools (xjubier.free.fr). The Camperona event listing is translated and adapted from the original brochure by author and broadcaster José Vincent Casado of Litos.net, organised together with Sabero Town Hall; direct event-specific questions to the organisers via Litos.net.
