Total Solar Eclipse — August 2, 2027

What this countdown tracks

The total solar eclipse of Monday 2 August 2027 — widely billed as "the eclipse of the century" — when the Moon's umbral shadow will trace a path of totality across southern Europe, North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, the Horn of Africa and parts of the Indian Ocean. At its peak, the path will cross Luxor in Upper Egypt, where totality lasts an extraordinary 6 minutes 22 seconds — the longest totality of any eclipse on land between 1991 and 2114.

About this event

A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth and the lunar disk fully covers the solar photosphere from the perspective of observers within the umbral shadow. The 2 August 2027 event is a Saros series 136 eclipse, a long-running family of eclipses that includes the famously long July 1991 totality over Mexico and Hawaii (6 min 53 sec) and the November 2003 totality over Antarctica. The August 2027 event will be the longest land-based total solar eclipse in nearly 100 years and is exceptional because the Earth is near aphelion (Sun smaller in the sky) and the Moon near perigee (Moon larger in the sky), maximising both the size of the umbra and its slow ground velocity.

The path of totality begins at sunrise in the eastern Atlantic Ocean off Greenland, sweeps across the Strait of Gibraltar, southern Spain (Cádiz, Tarifa, Málaga), Gibraltar, Morocco's northern coast (Tangier, Tétouan), Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt's Western Desert and the Nile Valley including Luxor, the Red Sea, north-western Saudi Arabia (Tabuk, Madain Salih), Yemen, Somalia, the Indian Ocean and reaches sunset in the open ocean east of the Chagos Archipelago. Maximum totality occurs at approximately 10:06 UTC over Luxor at 25.2°N, 32.6°E, with the Sun 82 degrees above the horizon — close to the zenith and unobscured by horizon haze, lighting conditions, or terrain.

What to expect

Travel demand for the path of totality is expected to be extraordinary, with Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities preparing the largest astrotourism deployment in the country's history. Luxor — the ancient Theban capital home to Karnak, the Valley of the Kings, and the Temple of Hatshepsut — is the global centre of the event. Sites along the Mediterranean coast of Spain and Morocco offer cooler temperatures and easier access for European observers; the Red Sea resort towns of Sharm el-Sheikh, Hurghada (just outside totality), and the Saudi cities of Tabuk and Madain Salih offer alternative paths. Algerian, Tunisian and Libyan totality sites are expected to host scientific expeditions. The Yemen and Somalia segments are unlikely to be accessible due to security conditions.

The 6 minutes 22 seconds of totality at Luxor allows extended observation of the corona, prominences, the chromosphere, Baily's Beads at second and third contact, and shadow bands. The temperature drop in totality is expected to be 10–15°C; the wildlife response, the 360-degree sunset, and the visibility of Mercury, Venus, Mars and Sirius during totality will all be exceptional. Eclipse-glasses are required during the partial phases on either side of totality; the totality itself can be viewed with the naked eye and is one of the most extraordinary natural sights in nature.

Past eclipses

• 8 April 2024 — total solar eclipse over Mexico, US and eastern Canada; up to 4 min 28 sec totality.
• 14 December 2020 — total solar eclipse over Chile and Argentina.
• 2 July 2019 — total solar eclipse over Chile and Argentina.
• 21 August 2017 — Great American Eclipse, US coast-to-coast.
• 11 August 1999 — total solar eclipse over Europe and the Middle East.
• 11 July 1991 — Saros 136 predecessor; 6 min 53 sec over Mexico and Hawaii.

How to follow

NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center maps and timing data are at eclipse2027.nasa.gov (mirroring the 2024 portal); timeanddate.com and the European Space Agency publish multilingual interactive maps. Sky & Telescope, Astronomy magazine, the American Astronomical Society and the Royal Astronomical Society are the principal English-language sources. The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, ONMT (Morocco), Saudi Tourism, and the Spanish Tourism Office publish national observation guides. Live broadcasts will run through National Geographic, NASA TV, BBC, Al Jazeera, France Télévisions, NHK, RTVE and the European Broadcasting Union. Expect commercial cruise voyages along the Egyptian Red Sea coast and air-borne observation flights from major European hubs.

Related countdowns

Pair the August 2027 totality with the Mars opposition of February 2027 on the broader 2026–2027 astronomy calendar. Space-mission context comes from NASA Roman Space Telescope launch, Artemis III launch and Hera arrival at Didymos.

FAQ

When is the total solar eclipse of August 2027? Monday 2 August 2027, with maximum totality at approximately 10:06 UTC over Luxor, Egypt. Where is the path of totality? From Spain and Morocco across Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt (Luxor), Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Somalia, ending in the Indian Ocean. Why does the August 2027 eclipse matter? At 6 minutes 22 seconds at Luxor, it is the longest land-based total solar eclipse in nearly 100 years — until the 2114 successor in the Saros series. Can I look at it without glasses? Only during the brief total phase within the path of totality. Eclipse glasses or a solar filter are required during all partial phases and outside the path of totality.