Where to see the partial lunar eclipse of August 28?

To organize a public astronomical observation event in Spain (for example, a nighttime gathering open to the public with telescopes), there is no specific “astronomy law,” but rather a set of general regulations on public shows, safety, public domain, and local governance. The specific requirements will vary depending on the autonomous community and municipality, but the basic framework is quite common.

1. General legal framework

• Autonomous competence in public shows: the State approved Royal Decree 2816/1982, General Regulation of Police of Public Shows and Recreational Activities (text in BOE), partially repealed and now largely complemented by the autonomous laws on shows, which actually set licenses, capacities, insurance, etc.
• Citizen security: the Organic Law 4/2015, on the protection of citizen security (LO 4/2015) regulates the use of public space, the powers of security forces, and the protection of meetings and acts in public areas.
• Local regime and municipal licenses: the Law 7/1985, Regulating the Bases of the Local Regime (LRBRL) establishes the competencies of town councils regarding the management of public spaces, local police, environmental protection, etc. On this basis, each municipality approves its ordinances on public road occupation, noise, parks, lighting, etc.
• Self-protection and emergencies: Royal Decree 393/2007, Basic Self-Protection Standard (RD 393/2007), now progressively replaced by RD 524/2023, sets which activities must have a self-protection plan and its minimum content.
• Protection of minors: LO 1/1996, on the Legal Protection of Minors and its reform by Law 26/2015 reinforce the general duty of protection and to avoid risk situations in activities open to children or youth.
• Special public domain: if the event is held on the coast, the Law 22/1988, on Coasts (Coasts Law) and its regulation apply; in forests or protected natural spaces, the specific autonomous regulations, use and management plans, etc.

2. Typical procedures depending on location

The first key filter is the event location:

• Private land not open to the public (e.g., an association’s estate): in principle, consent from the owner suffices, but the following may be required:
  • Compliance with noise and schedule ordinances.
  • Basic safety measures (emergency lighting, clear access, capacity control).
  • Civil liability insurance recommended and often required if advertised as an open activity.
• Public roads, squares, urban parks:
  • Request for municipal authorization for public road occupation (tables, telescopes, fences, etc.).
  • In many municipalities, a procedure for “occasional recreational activity” or prior communication, with data on expected capacity, schedule, responsible person, and safety measures.
  • Possible conditions due to traffic or coexistence (LO 4/2015 and citizen security ordinances).
• Beaches or maritime-terrestrial public domain:
  • Authorization from the Coasts Demarcation or, depending on the area, from the municipality/autonomy if they have delegated these powers (Coasts Law and Coasts Regulation).
  • Environmental report or conditions (use of lights, number of attendees, vehicles on sand, etc.).
• Protected natural spaces, forests, observatories in parks:
  • Authorization from the managing body of the space (autonomous council, board, etc.), respecting the use plan: capacity limits, schedules, parking zones.
  • Restrictions on artificial lighting, noise, and movement outside trails.

3. Safety, self-protection, and insurance

• Self-protection plan: only mandatory when the event fits any of the risk categories in the annex of the Basic Self-Protection Standard (large capacities, complex infrastructures, etc.). In practice, a small/medium observation usually requires at least:
  • A simple safety plan (access and evacuation scheme, meeting points, emergency phone numbers).
  • Designation of a safety officer present during the event.
• Material means: according to state regulations on shows and autonomous laws, the following may be requested:
  • First aid kit or, from certain capacities, nursing or ambulance.
  • Emergency lighting in passage areas, although darkness is maintained in the observation area.
  • Signage of obstacles, cables, tripods, etc.
• Civil liability insurance: many autonomous laws on shows require contracting liability insurance with minimum capital for activities open to the public. Even if not expressly mandatory by capacity, it is highly recommended to cover falls, equipment impacts, accidents during movement within the venue, etc.

4. Protection of minors and other aspects

• Ensure the environment is safe for minors (sufficient lighting on access routes, avoid risk areas, adult supervision if specific children’s activities are organized).
• Respect regulations on night schedules and transport of minors, especially if school groups are involved.
• If photographs or videos are taken, consider data and image protection regulations, especially for minors (consent, use on networks).

5. Role of autonomous communities and municipalities

In summary, the State sets the basic framework (citizen security, self-protection, coasts, local regime), but the specific requirements for your event are determined by:

• The autonomous law on public shows and recreational activities of your community (capacities, insurance, need for technical project, etc.).
• The municipal ordinances on public road occupation, use of parks and gardens, light pollution, noise, and coexistence.
• Any management plan of the natural or coastal space where you want to hold the observation.

Therefore, the essential practical step is to consult the autonomous law on shows and make an appointment with the Activities / Licenses / Environment area of your town hall, which will indicate the type of authorization (license, prior communication, or simple communication) and the specific documentation required for your astronomical event.

The National Geographic Institute (IGN), dependent on the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, has a much broader role than mere cartography. In astronomy and scientific outreach, it exercises official competencies in calculation, provision of public information, management of observation infrastructures, and promotion of scientific culture, mainly articulated through the National Astronomical Observatory and its observatories such as Yebes.

Official astronomical information and ephemerides calculation

• The Ministry of Transport itself explains that the IGN is the governing center that has "assigned the competencies to supply official information in astronomy through the National Astronomical Observatory" (note from 06/30/2025).
• This includes the calculation and dissemination of astronomical ephemerides: times of solstices, eclipses, moon phases, etc. For example, the exact time of the start of the astronomical summer in Spain is cited as "according to calculations by the National Astronomical Observatory, dependent on the National Geographic Institute" in divulgative information about the solstice.
• In the context of the "Eclipse Trio" 2026-2028, the IGN has developed a specific web portal with data for more than 8,000 Spanish municipalities, based on calculations from the National Astronomical Observatory, reflecting its role as the state reference in this field.

Sky observation and observatory networks

• IGN manages a network of astronomical observatories of high scientific level. The Yebes Observatory (Guadalajara) is officially described as "a true world reference in radioastronomical and geodetic research" and as the largest observatory of the IGN itself (note from 10/27/2025).
• Among its instruments are a 40 m radio telescope, another of 13 m, and a laser telemetry telescope to satellites, integrated into international observation networks. With them, lines of work such as:
  • Detection of interstellar molecules (Yebes is one of the most productive centers worldwide in this field).
  • Contribution to black hole images and Earth orientation parameters in space.
  • Space geodesy and Earth observation.
• These activities position the IGN as an operator of unique scientific-technical infrastructures in astronomy and space sciences, with its own research capacity and service to the international scientific community.

Scientific outreach and public services

• The creation of the "Eclipse Trio" portal is expressly framed within "a scientific dissemination campaign developed by the IGN," which includes:
  • Viewers and interactive maps to plan eclipse observation from anywhere in Spain.
  • Basic information about what an eclipse is and its scientific and cultural context.
  • Recommendations for safe observation and eye protection guidelines.
• The Ministry itself emphasizes that the publication of that website "is part of an intense scientific dissemination campaign that IGN and CNIG will carry out with various publications, courses, and lecture series," showing active competence in outreach, not just data provision.
• The Yebes Observatory also has a very explicit role in outreach:
  • It offers daily visits for students from preschool to high school, as well as for families and the general public.
  • It has become a territorial icon of Guadalajara, integrating astronomy into local identity and educational and cultural activities.

Training, scholarships, and educational cooperation

• The IGN Directorate General promotes training scholarships "in the areas of astronomy, astronomical instrumentation, and geospatial," among others, according to Ministry of Finance notes on expenditure authorization for these calls. This reinforces its function of attracting and training young specialists in astronomy and associated technologies.
• IGN participates in educational cooperation agreements with universities (Castilla-La Mancha, Las Palmas, Rey Juan Carlos, etc.), which include internships in areas such as cartography, geodesy, geophysics, or astronomy. These agreements explicitly mention the participation of regional IGN services in "dissemination activities" and technical assistance in astronomy.

Summary

Overall, the competencies of the National Geographic Institute in astronomy and scientific outreach can be summarized as:

• State authority in official astronomical information (ephemerides, eclipses, seasons) through the National Astronomical Observatory.
• Manager of observatories and observation networks conducting cutting-edge research in radio astronomy, astrochemistry, space geodesy, and Earth observation.
• Provider of public services and digital tools (viewers, maps, applications) to facilitate safe sky observation by citizens.
• Active agent of scientific outreach and education, with dissemination campaigns, courses, lectures, guided visits, and scholarship and internship programs focused, among other fields, on astronomy.

In the last decade, from 2016 to mid-2026, several partial lunar eclipses have occurred that, to a greater or lesser extent, have been visible from Spain. Adding the events that had appreciable visibility (even if only in part of the country or in partial phases of the total phenomenon), the number is around four partial lunar eclipses visible from Spanish territory during this period.

To understand this figure, it is useful first to clarify exactly what is considered a partial lunar eclipse and what it means for it to be “visible from Spain.” A partial lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon only partially enters the Earth's umbra (the darkest part of Earth's shadow). Unlike a total eclipse, in which the Moon is completely immersed in the umbra and acquires the characteristic reddish tone, in a partial eclipse only a fraction of the lunar disk is “bitten” by the shadow.

Regarding visibility “from Spain,” it is not enough that the eclipse occurs on a certain date: it is necessary that, at the moment the Moon crosses the Earth's umbra, the Moon is above the horizon for an observer located in Spain. Many lunar eclipses that occur each decade are visible only from other parts of the planet (America, the Pacific, East Asia, etc.) and therefore do not count for this question.

Additionally, there are eclipses that, although technically partial, are only so for a very brief fraction of the event or with a very small degree of darkening, so that for the general public they may go almost unnoticed. However, from an astronomical point of view, if part of the lunar disk enters the umbra and that phase occurs with the Moon above the horizon somewhere in Spain (peninsula, Balearic Islands, or Canary Islands), the eclipse is considered observable from the country.

The temporal distribution of these eclipses is not regular. Lunar eclipses (penumbral, partial, and total) are organized in patterns known as Saros cycles. These cycles cause that during some years there is a “streak” with several eclipses visible from the same region, while in other periods visibility shifts to other continents. Therefore, in the considered decade, Spain has had years with several interesting events and others with few observation opportunities.

It is also important to differentiate penumbral eclipses from partial ones: in a penumbral eclipse, the Moon only crosses the Earth's penumbra, producing a very subtle darkening of brightness, sometimes almost imperceptible to the naked eye. Many people confuse them with partial eclipses, but astronomically they are classified differently. In the count offered here, only proper partial eclipses are included, in which a portion of the lunar disk is clearly “eaten” by the dark shadow of the umbra.

Another relevant nuance is that the same eclipse can be seen differently in different parts of the territory. For example, an eclipse that in the Canary Islands is observed with the complete partial phase may begin or end with the Moon very low on the horizon in the peninsula, or even with the maximum phase already passed. Still, if any part of the partial phase occurs with the Moon above the horizon somewhere in Spain, the eclipse is considered visible from the country, even if conditions are not ideal in all regions.

In summary, considering standard astronomical criteria (entry of part of the lunar disk into the Earth's umbra) and geographic visibility restrictions (Moon above the horizon in Spanish territory during the partial phase), it can be estimated that in the last ten years there have been around four partial lunar eclipses visible from Spain. The exact figure may vary slightly depending on the criteria used to define “visibility” (for example, if extremely marginal visibility with the Moon barely above the horizon is considered sufficient).

If you are interested in precisely identifying each of these eclipses (exact date, time of maximum, fraction of the lunar disk darkened, and visibility conditions in different Spanish cities), it is most advisable to consult detailed ephemerides from organizations such as the National Astronomical Observatory or eclipse databases from space agencies, where all events are listed with visibility maps and complete schedules.