Solar eclipse on 26 January 2028: what to see in Germany and Central Europe
On Wednesday, 26 January 2028, a partial solar eclipse is visible in western and southern Germany, ending at sunset. Depending on your location, it begins between 16:37 and 16:41 CET, low in the west-south-west. The south-west gets the best view: at sunset, about 42 % of the Sun’s diameter is covered in Freiburg, Saarbrücken and Trier, 35 % in Köln, 22 % in München and just 9 % in Hamburg. East of a line roughly from Schwerin through Potsdam to Dresden, the Sun is already setting when the Moon reaches it: nothing is visible in Berlin, Rostock, Cottbus or Görlitz. The eclipse is annular, forming a “ring of fire”, over Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Madeira, southern Portugal and Spain.
Eclipse finder: 26 Jan 2028 (free, runs in your browser)
Choose a city or use your location to see whether the eclipse starts before sunset, how much of the Sun the Moon covers and how long you have to watch. Your location is processed only in your browser; no data is sent.
Locations between cities are interpolated from a 0.5° grid (difference under one minute). Calculations assume sea level and a flat horizon; on mountains or coasts with a clear west-south-west view, the Sun sets slightly later. Never look at the Sun without protection, even when it is low in the evening sky.
Times and coverage for 50 cities
Sorted by coverage. “Maximum” is the moment the Sun touches the horizon; the eclipse continues to deepen afterwards, out of sight below the horizon. Coverage = fraction of the Sun’s diameter / fraction of its area.
| Location | Start | Maximum | Coverage | Sunset | Sun altitude at start |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freiburg im Breisgau | 16:40 | 17:14 | 42 % / 30 % | 17:18 | 4,8° |
| Saarbrücken | 16:39 | 17:13 | 42 % / 30 % | 17:17 | 4,6° |
| Trier | 16:39 | 17:13 | 42 % / 29 % | 17:17 | 4,6° |
| Aachen | 16:38 | 17:11 | 40 % / 28 % | 17:16 | 4,3° |
| Baden-Baden | 16:40 | 17:10 | 38 % / 25 % | 17:14 | 4,2° |
| Konstanz | 16:41 | 17:10 | 37 % / 24 % | 17:14 | 4,1° |
| Karlsruhe | 16:40 | 17:08 | 36 % / 24 % | 17:12 | 3,9° |
| Bonn | 16:38 | 17:08 | 35 % / 23 % | 17:12 | 3,8° |
| Köln | 16:38 | 17:07 | 35 % / 23 % | 17:12 | 3,8° |
| Düsseldorf | 16:38 | 17:07 | 35 % / 23 % | 17:11 | 3,7° |
| Koblenz | 16:39 | 17:07 | 34 % / 22 % | 17:11 | 3,7° |
| Duisburg | 16:38 | 17:06 | 34 % / 22 % | 17:11 | 3,6° |
| Mannheim | 16:39 | 17:07 | 34 % / 22 % | 17:11 | 3,7° |
| Wuppertal | 16:38 | 17:05 | 33 % / 21 % | 17:10 | 3,5° |
| Heidelberg | 16:40 | 17:06 | 33 % / 21 % | 17:10 | 3,6° |
| Essen | 16:38 | 17:05 | 33 % / 21 % | 17:10 | 3,5° |
| Mainz | 16:39 | 17:06 | 33 % / 21 % | 17:10 | 3,6° |
| Stuttgart | 16:40 | 17:06 | 33 % / 21 % | 17:10 | 3,6° |
| Wiesbaden | 16:39 | 17:05 | 32 % / 20 % | 17:10 | 3,5° |
| Bochum | 16:38 | 17:04 | 32 % / 20 % | 17:09 | 3,4° |
| Darmstadt | 16:39 | 17:04 | 31 % / 19 % | 17:09 | 3,4° |
| Dortmund | 16:38 | 17:03 | 30 % / 19 % | 17:08 | 3,2° |
| Frankfurt am Main | 16:39 | 17:03 | 30 % / 18 % | 17:08 | 3,3° |
| Ulm | 16:40 | 17:04 | 30 % / 18 % | 17:08 | 3,3° |
| Münster | 16:38 | 17:01 | 28 % / 16 % | 17:05 | 2,9° |
| Garmisch-Partenkirchen | 16:41 | 17:03 | 27 % / 16 % | 17:06 | 3,1° |
| Augsburg | 16:41 | 17:01 | 25 % / 14 % | 17:05 | 2,8° |
| Würzburg | 16:40 | 17:00 | 25 % / 14 % | 17:04 | 2,7° |
| Osnabrück | 16:38 | 16:58 | 24 % / 13 % | 17:02 | 2,5° |
| Emden | 16:37 | 16:57 | 23 % / 13 % | 17:01 | 2,4° |
| Bielefeld | 16:38 | 16:57 | 23 % / 12 % | 17:01 | 2,4° |
| München | 16:41 | 16:59 | 22 % / 12 % | 17:03 | 2,5° |
| Kassel | 16:39 | 16:56 | 21 % / 11 % | 17:00 | 2,3° |
| Nürnberg | 16:40 | 16:56 | 20 % / 10 % | 17:00 | 2,2° |
| Oldenburg | 16:38 | 16:54 | 19 % / 10 % | 16:58 | 2,0° |
| Göttingen | 16:39 | 16:53 | 18 % / 9 % | 16:58 | 1,9° |
| Bremen | 16:38 | 16:52 | 17 % / 8 % | 16:56 | 1,8° |
| Regensburg | 16:41 | 16:54 | 16 % / 8 % | 16:58 | 1,9° |
| Hannover | 16:38 | 16:51 | 15 % / 7 % | 16:55 | 1,7° |
| Erfurt | 16:39 | 16:51 | 14 % / 6 % | 16:55 | 1,6° |
| Braunschweig | 16:39 | 16:48 | 12 % / 4 % | 16:52 | 1,3° |
| Passau | 16:41 | 16:50 | 11 % / 4 % | 16:54 | 1,3° |
| Sylt (Westerland) | 16:37 | 16:46 | 10 % / 4 % | 16:50 | 1,2° |
| Hamburg | 16:38 | 16:45 | 9 % / 3 % | 16:49 | 1,0° |
| Magdeburg | 16:39 | 16:44 | 6 % / 2 % | 16:49 | 0,8° |
| Leipzig | 16:40 | 16:44 | 6 % / 2 % | 16:48 | 0,8° |
| Flensburg | 16:37 | 16:42 | 5 % / 2 % | 16:46 | 0,7° |
| Chemnitz | 16:40 | 16:44 | 5 % / 1 % | 16:48 | 0,7° |
| Kiel | 16:37 | 16:41 | 4 % / 1 % | 16:46 | 0,6° |
| Lübeck | 16:38 | 16:41 | 4 % / 1 % | 16:45 | 0,6° |
All times are Central European Time (CET), for the city centre at sea level, rounded to the nearest minute. Our calculations were checked against timeanddate.de (Hamburg, Köln, München, Leipzig, Kiel: matching minutes, coverage within ±1 percentage point). Across Germany, the visible eclipse runs from 16:37 to 17:18 CET.
Practically invisible (the Moon only touches the Sun as it sinks into the haze): Dresden, Potsdam, Schwerin. Not visible: Berlin, Rostock, Cottbus, Görlitz.
What you will actually see
This eclipse rewards a clear western horizon. At the start, the Sun is only 0.5 to just under 5 degrees high, depending on location: one to ten thumb widths above the horizon, towards the west-south-west (about 240 degrees). The Moon moves across the Sun as it sinks, red, into the evening haze. In the south-west you have a little over half an hour; in northern Germany, only minutes.
- Choose your spot: the banks of the Rhine, dykes, fields, observation towers or an upper floor facing west-south-west. Even a woodland edge on the horizon can hide the entire eclipse.
- Weather: Late January is often grey. According to timeanddate.de, Hamburg has been cloudy on this date in 88 % of years since 2000. Keep several locations in mind and be ready to travel at short notice.
- Photo tip: The low Sun, with a notch in its edge, above a silhouette such as a cathedral, bridge or wind turbine is the shot to aim for. Use a telephoto lens only with a solar filter fitted over the front.
Watch safely, even with a low Sun
- Never look at the low, red Sun without protection or through binoculars or a camera viewfinder. It may look dim, but can suddenly shine brightly through the haze.
- Use only eclipse glasses or filters meeting ISO 12312-2; ordinary sunglasses are not enough. Glasses from the eclipse on 2 August 2027 can be reused if undamaged.
- Without eclipse glasses, use a pinhole camera to view it indirectly. With the Sun this low, the image will be faint; projecting through binoculars onto a cardboard screen requires experience.
Where the eclipse is annular
Along the central path, the Moon appears too small to cover the Sun completely, leaving a bright ring. The path of annularity begins over the Pacific near the Galápagos Islands, crosses Ecuador, northern Peru and the Amazon region, then the Atlantic via Madeira, reaching southern Portugal and Spain with the Sun low in the sky. The longest annular phase, 10 minutes 27 seconds, occurs west of Macapá in Brazil; greatest eclipse is at 16:08 CET. The ring lasts about 7 minutes in Sevilla and about 7 minutes in Valencia; on Ibiza, the Sun sets almost exactly as the annular phase ends.
For Spain, this completes a rare sequence: a total eclipse on 12 August 2026, another on 2 August 2027 and an annular eclipse on 26 January 2028. If you visited Andalusia in 2027, you already know the route. For the view from Germany on 2 August 2027, see Solar eclipse 2027 in Germany and Central Europe.
New moon in Aquarius
Every solar eclipse falls at new moon. This one is on 26 January 2028 at 16:12 CET, with the Sun and Moon at around 6 degrees Aquarius in the tropical zodiac. In astrology, eclipse new moons mark powerful beginnings; Aquarius themes include friendship, community and ideas for the future. Find every new moon of the year, with a planner, here: New moon dates 2028.
All eclipses in 2028
| Date | Type | In Germany |
|---|---|---|
| 12 Jan 2028 | Partial lunar eclipse | visible in the early morning, maximum at 05:13 CET, but covering only just over 6 % of the Moon’s diameter |
| 26 Jan 2028 | Annular solar eclipse | partial just before sunset in the west and south (this page) |
| 6 July 2028 | Partial lunar eclipse | not visible, ends before moonrise |
| 22 July 2028 | Total solar eclipse | not visible (Australia, New Zealand) |
| 31 Dec 2028 | Total lunar eclipse | visible, New Year’s Eve blood moon from 17:16 to 18:28 CET |
Details of the lunar eclipses and New Year’s Eve blood moon: Lunar eclipses 2028 in Germany and Central Europe. Next: Solar eclipses on 12 June 2029 and 1 June 2030 in Germany and Central Europe — a small sunrise eclipse in 2029, then a large partial morning eclipse across Germany in 2030.
Related: Solar eclipses 2029 and 2030, New moon dates 2028, Solar eclipse on 2 August 2027, Lunar eclipses and blood moon 2028, Full moon dates 2028, New moon dates 2027, Moon calendar 2028 for gardening and haircuts, Subscribe to the moon calendar, Today’s moon phase.
A printed calendar for 2028 is not yet available. Until then, try the printable moon calendar 2027 (€9.90, PDF for A4, A5 and tablet), with every moon phase timed to the minute, the moon sign for each day and the 2027 eclipses. Download it straight away.
Find out more →More on Cosmolytic: every solar eclipse is a new moon close to the lunar nodes; in January 2028 it falls in Aquarius. Plus the Sun in a birth chart.
Frequently asked questions
Is the solar eclipse on 26 January 2028 visible in Germany and Central Europe?
Yes, in the west and south as a partial eclipse just before sunset, starting between 16:37 and 16:41 CET depending on location. In the north-east, including Berlin, Rostock, Cottbus and Görlitz, the Sun is already setting as the eclipse begins, so nothing is visible.
How much of the Sun is covered?
The south-west sees the most: about 42 % of the diameter (30 % of the area) in Freiburg, Saarbrücken and Trier, 35 % in Köln, 30 % in Frankfurt, 22 % in München and 9 % in Hamburg. Local maximum occurs as the Sun touches the horizon.
Can you see the 2028 solar eclipse in Berlin?
No. In Berlin, the Moon only touches the Sun at 16:39 CET, one minute before sunset, as it is sinking into the horizon. Practically nothing is visible in Potsdam or Dresden either.
Which direction should I look?
West-south-west, about 240 degrees, just above the horizon. At the start the Sun is only 0.5 to 5 degrees high, depending on location, so you need a clear view without houses, trees or hills.
Where is the 2028 solar eclipse annular?
Over Ecuador, northern Peru, Brazil, French Guiana, Madeira, southern Portugal and Spain, including Sevilla and Valencia, where the ring lasts about 7 minutes. The longest annular phase, 10 minutes 27 seconds, is in Brazil.
When is the next solar eclipse visible in Germany and Central Europe?
The preceding eclipse is on 2 August 2027 (partial, across Germany). After 2028 come 12 June 2029 (small, at sunrise) and 1 June 2030 (a large partial eclipse across Germany). Find details and a finder under Solar eclipses 2029 and 2030.
Sources
- NASA Eclipse Website: Solar Eclipses 2021–2030
- timeanddate.de: Annular solar eclipse, 26 January 2028 (worldwide, times by country)
- timeanddate.de: Solar eclipse, 26 Jan 2028, in Hamburg (cross-check, cloud statistics)
- Wikipedia: Solar eclipse of 26 January 2028
- NASA Science: Eclipse Safety
Responsible: Maximilian Stroh, Anonyfox e. K., Hamburg