PHASES OF THE ECLIPSE IN THE BALEARIC ISLANDS

The final location where this historic eclipse will be visible is the Balearic Islands. The eclipse will begin at 19:37, first in Menorca and shortly after in Mallorca, before ending in Ibiza and Formentera.

In Mallorca, maximum coverage and the solar corona will occur at 20:32, just minutes before sunset, at an altitude of only 2.4 degrees above the horizon.

In Menorca, totality will take place at 20:30, while in Ibiza and Formentera it will be at 20:33.

In a phenomenon never seen before, the Sun will set on the horizon at 20:48—already eclipsed, appearing like a waning Moon.

SHADOW PROJECTION ON AUGUST 12, 2026

The path of totality will begin over the Arctic, moving swiftly southward. It will then cross much of the Iberian Peninsula, becoming visible in cities such as A Coruña, Oviedo, and Bilbao, where daylight will dim in a striking way.

The shadow will continue toward the Mediterranean, reaching the Balearic Islands in the final phases of the eclipse. In Mallorca, although the Sun will already be low on the late-afternoon horizon, observers will be able to see the Moon completely cover it for a few moments. It will be a unique opportunity: to witness sunset and totality coincide over the sea, painting the sky with an unrepeatable spectacle.

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This unusually low position of the eclipse, with the Sun grazing the horizon, combined with the distortion caused by atmospheric refraction, will create optical effects and celestial landscapes of unprecedented beauty. It will be a once-in-a-lifetime astronomical phenomenon.

MOON BONUS

LUNAR TRANSIT

MOON TRANSIT

Credits: NASA / NOAA

On July 16, 2015, a NASA camera aboard the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR), positioned 1.6 million kilometers from Earth, captured a unique moment: the Moon passing in front of the sunlit side of our planet. The images reveal its “dark side” fully illuminated—normally invisible from Earth.

Seen from such a distance, the Moon ceases to be a mystery. Its hidden face comes into view, reminding us that sometimes all it takes is a change of perspective.

MOON SHADOW

Credits: NASA / NOAA

On August 21, 2017, the EPIC camera aboard the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) recorded a different but equally striking phenomenon: the Moon’s shadow sweeping across Earth’s surface during a total solar eclipse. From 1.6 million kilometers away, the planet appears whole and round, while a dark circle moves over North America, tracing the path of the eclipse with precision.

These images reveal at a glance what, on the ground, is experienced only locally and briefly: how the Moon can darken entire regions of the planet for a few minutes.

SUPER BONUS

HOW DID THE MOON FORM?

Credits: Durham University’s Institute for Computational Cosmology

According to the most widely accepted simulations, the Moon was born from a giant cosmic impact about 4.5 billion years ago. A Mars-sized planet, known as Theia, collided with the young Earth, ejecting an immense amount of incandescent material into space. This ring of rock and gas began orbiting our planet until it condensed into a glowing sphere: the Moon.

What’s truly astonishing is to realize that our satellite is, in fact, a fragment of Earth itself, hurled into space by that violent collision. And thanks to this cosmic coincidence, we now enjoy tides, moonlit nights, and eclipses as spectacular as the ones that continue to fascinate us today.

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