One year to go until the eclipse of the century: today is the day to find out where to see it.

In just one year, the day will come when night will fall twice in almost 40% of Spain . On August 12, 2026, at around 8:30 p.m., it will first occur for a maximum of 1 minute and 50 seconds. The phenomenon will bring sudden darkness in the middle of the night, before the actual sunset, a short while later: exactly 18 minutes after sunset in Palma de Mallorca and 1 hour and 14 minutes after sunset in A Coruña. Both cities are at the extreme ends of the spectrum of a total solar eclipse, which will cross the Iberian Peninsula again on that day, almost 121 years after the last time it occurred.

For anyone alive today, it will be the first time a total eclipse has been seen on the Spanish mainland. It will also be the first time in history that the entire population will have access to precise information about when, where, and how to see it. Astronomical calculations allow us to know the time and duration of an eclipse with precision— and centuries in advance. That's why we know that no one alive today—not even their children or grandchildren—will be able to witness something like this in the Spanish provinces that will experience that double night in a single day in 2026.

Seeing a black sun with your own eyes, casting a white trail around it, is something that happens once in a person's lifetime—and that's if you're lucky. Statistics say that, on average, it occurs once every 400 years in a single territory. On August 12, 2026, it will pass through 13 of Spain's 17 autonomous communities, covering at least part of 27 of the country's 50 provinces.

Only Andalusia, Murcia, Extremadura, and the Canary Islands—in addition to Ceuta and Melilla—will be completely outside the path of totality of the August 2026 solar eclipse. However, southern Andalusia and the two autonomous cities in North Africa will have their moment almost a year later: on August 2, 2027, another total solar eclipse will touch Spanish territory; and finally, on January 26, 2028, an annular eclipse will cross the south and east of the Iberian Peninsula. This trio of top-category eclipses, in the same country and in three consecutive years, is an astronomical coup unseen in modern history.

Where can the total eclipse be seen from?

A quick glance at the official eclipse map—prepared by the National Geographic Institute (IGN) —shows which provinces and specific locations will experience the total eclipse on August 12. But that doesn't mean those there will be able to see the black sun, which will appear when the moon passes in front of the sun and completely covers it. Since the total eclipse will occur when the sun is already very close to setting over the horizon, mountains, buildings, and trees are likely to obstruct direct viewing of the phenomenon in many places; although anywhere within the entire path of totality, that fleeting and strange night will occur.

The simplest and most accurate way to know if the total eclipse will be visible in a specific area is to look at the sky today at 8:30 PM, after first finding a spot with a clear western horizon. Within the path of totality, if the sun is visible, with no obstacles nearby, it will be possible to see it eclipsed right there in exactly one year. The sun is always in exactly the same position on the same date each year and at the same time. That position varies slightly from day to day, so doing the same check in the coming days of this week will also give a very reliable idea.

For those who aren't at their place of residence or vacation home during the sunset today, there's another—not as precise—way to check. The IGN has published an interactive viewer with all the details on the time, duration, and theoretical visibility of the eclipse . However, this viewer doesn't show the fine details of the terrain, nor the natural and artificial obstacles, which we'll only be able to determine if they're a hindrance in practice. Even so, on this website, it's easy to see that it won't be visible in valleys in mountainous areas, which, on the map, do seem like ideal locations: they are within the path of totality—and close to the line of center, where the eclipse lasts longer. This is the case, for example, in towns like Cangas del Narcea (Asturias), where the sun will have already set behind the mountains shortly before the moon completely covers it, according to IGN data.

What will be the best areas?

Anyone who looks at the sun at 8:30 p.m. on August 12 will notice that clouds or mist in some places obscure the sun when it is already so low, even though the sky is completely clear at its highest point. This low cloudiness near the horizon is much more common in coastal areas. Therefore, within the path of totality, the best places to observe it will, a priori, be inland, in rural and flat areas. There, the absence of natural obstacles and buildings makes it easier to clear the horizon. And the further west, the better, as the sun will be highest during the total eclipse in the westernmost part of the country.

Knowing that the clouds will have the final say, the combination of all these factors creates a geographic triangle—in very sparsely populated areas between the provinces of León, Palencia, Soria, and Burgos—as the zone where the most suitable places will be to view the total eclipse of 2026. This is why it is known as the eclipse of empty Spain.

How is Spain preparing for the eclipse?

The citizens most interested in observing this astronomical phenomenon won't be the only ones looking to the sky this August 12th at sunset, exactly one year before the eclipse of the century in Spain. The Generalitat of Catalonia plans to deploy a group of observers throughout the affected areas, according to the Catalan Government's Minister of Research and Universities, Núria Montserrat: "Specifically, we will monitor this in around ten of the locations we have previously identified as the most suitable for viewing the total eclipse, taking into account the theoretical data available to us."

This official practical verification is one of the milestones in the planning of the Catalan government, which has been one of the first to take action in preparation for the eclipse. "We will have an ongoing information campaign for citizens, integrated with educational programs in schools, which will take shape before Christmas and will have as ambassadors scientific figures such as Sara García [Spanish molecular biologist and astronaut candidate]," says Montserrat, who coordinates an interdepartmental committee within the Catalan government to organize the observation of the 2026 eclipse.

Other autonomous communities, such as Aragon, have also announced the creation of strategic plans, while the central government has launched a committee to coordinate the work of 13 ministries and will hold its first meeting on August 28. The president of this interministerial committee, Juan Cruz Cigudosa, warned—in an interview today with EL PAÍS—that the passage of the next total eclipses through Spain poses a very complex public safety challenge and invites the regions to coordinate to address it.

Meanwhile, astronomy enthusiasts from multiple countries have already anticipated these official preparations in Spain—which will be the only country in the world where the 2026 total eclipse can be guaranteed—and are selling out accommodations in the best areas. In A Coruña, hotel sources consulted by this newspaper indicate that the remaining rooms are already triple their price compared to this year's for August 12 and the days before and after. The astronomical phenomenon is expected to attract a massive influx. It will be one of the few occasions in Europe, throughout the 21st century, to see the sun set in broad daylight.