Total solar eclipse of August 2, 2027: six minutes of totality over Egypt.
·The total solar eclipse of August 2, 2027 is the one eclipse chasers have circled for decades. Near Luxor, Egypt, the Moon blots out the Sun for 6 minutes 23 seconds, the longest totality on land between 1991 and 2114. Nothing else this century comes close over dry, reachable ground. Here is the path, the timing, why it lasts so long, and what the rest of 2027 holds for anyone who cannot get to Egypt.
Where is the path of totality?
The shadow comes ashore from the eastern Atlantic onto southern Spain, crosses the Strait of Gibraltar, and runs the length of North Africa through northern Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya before reaching Egypt directly over the Luxor region. From there it continues into southwest Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Somalia. The point of greatest eclipse sits about 60 km east-southeast of Luxor in the Eastern Desert; the point of longest totality, 6 minutes 23 seconds, lies about 195 km northwest of Luxor in the Western Desert, and the difference along the Nile valley between them is under a second. That is why the Luxor stretch of the Nile is the target for the longest views.
Why does totality last six minutes?
Three things line up at once. Earth is near aphelion in early August, its farthest point from the Sun, so the Sun looks slightly smaller. The Moon is near perigee, its closest point to Earth, so the Moon looks slightly larger. And the path runs near the equator around local midday, where the shadow moves across the ground more slowly. A bigger-looking Moon over a smaller-looking Sun, moving slowly, adds up to a long eclipse. Greatest eclipse is at 10:06:38 UTC with an eclipse magnitude of 1.079, and the point of greatest duration is reached at 10:00:21 UTC (Fred Espenak's path table).
What time is the eclipse?
Greatest eclipse is at 10:06:38 UTC, which rounds to 10:07, and falls between mid morning and midday local time along the whole path: about noon in Egypt (UTC+2) and mid morning in southern Spain (UTC+2 in summer). Totality at any one spot lasts from under two minutes at the ends of the track to 6 minutes 23 seconds near the point of greatest duration. Contact times shift minute by minute along the path, so confirm them for your own spot before the day.
What are the weather odds, and how do you plan?
Egypt is the pick for a reason beyond duration. The Luxor region carries roughly 80 percent clear-sky odds in early August, some of the most reliable eclipse weather anywhere on the track. Timing runs from morning into midday local time across the path. Outside totality, partial phases reach nearly all of Europe, most of Africa, the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia, and a sliver of far-eastern North America. The safety rule is the same as any eclipse: certified eclipse glasses for every partial phase, unaided viewing only during full totality inside the path.
What other eclipses happen in 2027?
The year opens with an annular solar eclipse on February 6. That one crosses Chile, Argentina, the Uruguay coast, and southern Brazil, then reaches the West African coast over Abidjan, Accra, Lome, Cotonou, and southwest Nigeria, with a ring phase lasting up to 7 minutes 51 seconds. On the lunar side, 2027 has three eclipses and all three are penumbral: February 20-21, July 18-19, and August 16-17. A penumbral eclipse is a subtle shading of the Moon that is easy to miss, so there is no blood moon in 2027.
The last one: August 12, 2026.
A year before this one, on August 12, 2026, the Moon's shadow crossed Greenland, Iceland, and northern Spain, the first total eclipse over mainland Europe since 1999. The path, the UTC times, and what happened on the day are in the record of the August 12, 2026 eclipse.
Common questions.
How long does totality last on August 2, 2027?
Up to 6 minutes 23 seconds near Luxor, Egypt. That is the longest totality on land between 1991 and 2114.
Where is the best place to see the 2027 eclipse?
Egypt near Luxor combines the longest duration with roughly 80 percent clear-sky odds in early August. The path also crosses southern Spain, North Africa, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Somalia.
What time is the eclipse?
Greatest eclipse is at 10:06:38 UTC, about 10:07, which falls morning to midday local time along the path.
Will Europe see anything?
Southern Spain is inside the path of totality. Nearly all of the rest of Europe sees a partial eclipse.