Catalonia is one of the autonomous communities best placed to observe the expected total solar eclipse that will take place on August 12. An astronomical phenomenon that It has not been repeated since 1905 and for which the thousands of citizens who live or will spend these days in the region are already preparing.
Due to its location, in the northeastern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, This community will be able to enjoy the totality of the eclipse. This means that, for just over a minute, darkness will take over the region to leave one of the most spectacular images of the century and that cannot be seen again until November 19, 2180.
These are the areas that are within the total eclipse strip
As reported by the Generalitat of Catalonia on its own website, the eclipse will begin starting at 7:30 p.m. and can be observed until 9:00 p.m. with different intensity depending on the municipality. In order to enjoy the totality of the eclipse, that is, the absolute darkness, it will be necessary to travel to the southern third of the community, that is, to the towns of Tarragona, Lleida or Reus.
The best area to enjoy this phenomenon is the southern regions of Tarragonain which the entirety will last approximately a minute and a half. While in Lleida it can only be observed for 25 seconds. This leaves the rest of the municipalities, such as Barcelona or Gironafar from the range of totality, only being able to observe a partial eclipse.
This is how the totality of the eclipse will be seen in some municipalities of Catalonia
In the locations where the eclipse can be observed in its entirety, the sky will begin to lose intensity from 7:33 p.m. and progressively until approximately 8:29 p.m., when it will be completely dark. This darkness will not last more than 1 minute and 30 seconds, being less in some areas, so it is important to be attentive.
According to the data offered by Eclipsi Catalonia, the locations that will remain in darkness the longest are Alcanar (1 minute and 37 seconds), Santa Barbara (1 minute and 34 seconds) and Camarles (1 minute and 31 seconds). While the municipalities in which this phenomenon will end sooner are Les Borges Blanques (23 seconds), Lleida (25 seconds) and Valls (39 seconds).
In these locations you can enjoy the different phases that make up this astronomical phenomenon. First of all, it will begin penumbral eclipsein which you can see how the Sun begins to hide behind the Moon. When the satellite already occupies a large part of the solar disk, the partial eclipse will begin until reaching totality, which will be when it is completely covered. In this phase one of the most spectacular images takes place, the solar crown.
How it will look in the rest of the community and where the observation points are
In the rest of the municipalities, the eclipse will be partial, although close to totality. Specifically, according to the City Council of Barcelonain the Catalan capital the Moon will hide approximately one 99.7% of the solar disk, which will leave cities almost in complete darkness. A percentage that is reduced to 98.8% in Gironabut if you cannot travel to observe the eclipse, it will continue to leave unique images in its locations.
For those who can and want to travel to the strip that will enjoy the totality of the eclipse, the Government and the local councils have arranged a series of observation points. Some of the points are located in L’Aldea, Cambrils or Móra la Nova, although they will have limited capacity and an entrance ticket will be required to access.
While those who prefer to stay in their municipality will be able to know the exact start time of the partial eclipse and when it will reach its peak thanks to the interactive map that the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility has provided in collaboration with the National Geographic Institute. This is located on their website and allows you to search each locality of each of the autonomous communities of Spain.