The Gran Canaria Island Emergency Plan (PEIN) will be activated from 1:00 PM on Wednesday, August 12th until midnight on Friday, August 14th due to the solar eclipse on Wednesday and its coincidence with the Perseid meteor shower, two astronomical phenomena that are expected to cause a significant concentration of people in different parts of the island, especially in the mid-altitude and summit areas.
The eclipse will begin this Wednesday at 18:59 p.m. and reach its maximum at 19:54 p.m., when approximately 69% of the solar disk will be obscured by the Moon. From Maspalomas, it will be a partial eclipse, coinciding with the late afternoon.
The skies over Maspalomas will have a special event this Wednesday, August 12th . The Moon will begin to pass between the Earth and the Sun at 18:59 PM , and the eclipse will reach its maximum around 19:54 PM . From the south of Gran Canaria, it will be seen as a partial eclipse , while a strip of the Iberian Peninsula will be able to enjoy totality.
In Maspalomas, the most anticipated moment will arrive when the sun is barely 10 degrees above the horizon . Astronomical calculations place the magnitude of the eclipse at around 0,747 . The final part of the phenomenon will coincide almost exactly with sunset , so locations with a clear view to the west will be the best for viewing it.
An eclipse that will make history
The August 12th eclipse will be an exceptional event for Spain. The Iberian Peninsula has not witnessed a total solar eclipse since 1912 , and the last one visible as a total eclipse from Spanish territory occurred in 1959 , precisely from the Canary Islands. The 2026 phenomenon will also inaugurate a unique series of eclipses that will once again place Spain on the international astronomical map.
Sunglasses: not suitable for viewing the eclipse
The main recommendation is simple: never look directly at the sun without proper protection. Regular sunglasses, no matter how dark they are or even if they have UV protection, are not safe for observing an eclipse. You must use specific solar observation glasses that comply with ISO 12312-2 and are in perfect condition.
X-rays, smoked glass, photographic negatives, or other homemade methods should also not be used. If binoculars, cameras, or telescopes are used, they require specific solar filters correctly attached to the lens. In Gran Canaria, the eclipse will be partial throughout its observation period , so there will be no time when it is safe to look directly at the Sun without protection.
Even though the eclipse occurs in the late afternoon and the Moon completely obscures the Sun, looking directly at it remains dangerous . The portion of the solar disk that remains visible emits radiation intense enough to cause solar retinopathy , a retinal injury that can appear without immediate pain and lead to vision problems.
With the maximum expected shortly before 8 p.m. and the sun descending below the horizon, the eclipse promises to be one of the defining images of the summer in Maspalomas . A rare opportunity to gaze at the sky, but always safely.
