Great total eclipse — 6 minutes over Egypt
Six minutes and 23 seconds of darkness — the longest totality on land this century, over the temples of Luxor.
📍 Visible from where you are right now — computed in your browser
▶ Open this scene in the simulator Until maximum · Up to 6 min 23 s of totality (about 60 km south-east of Luxor; ~6 min 20 s in the city)
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The story
On 2 August 2027 the Moon is due to cover the Sun completely in a total solar eclipse. What makes this one stand out is its length. At the best spot the Sun will disappear for 6 minutes 23 seconds, and no total eclipse seen from easily reached land will last longer until 3 June 2114. The strip of land covered by the Moon's dark shadow is up to about 258 km wide.
The shadow comes in from the Atlantic and crosses the southern coast of Spain near the Strait of Gibraltar. It then passes over Tangier in northern Morocco, and on across Algeria, Tunisia and Libya, before giving its longest totality in Egypt, at a point about 60 km south-east of Luxor. After that it crosses the Red Sea, passes over Jeddah and Mecca in Saudi Arabia and over Yemen, and leaves land at the tip of Somalia for the Indian Ocean.
Six minutes is a very long time for a total eclipse. Totality usually lasts only a few minutes, so observers are always rushing to take photographs and look with their own eyes in that short window. This time there is room to spare. There is time to study the corona, the white glow spread around the Sun, to look around the horizon at the sunset-coloured light on every side, and to find bright planets that appear in the darkened daytime sky.
The weather odds are also good. Southern Egypt, where totality is longest, is desert with almost no rain in August, and it is counted among the places with a high chance of clear skies. A high chance is not a promise, however. Set the sky view to Luxor and move the time to the middle of that day, and the Sun is reproduced being covered bit by bit and then disappearing completely behind the Moon.
Viewing guide — where, when, how
Totality can only be seen inside a strip that starts at the southern tip of Spain and runs through Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Somalia. Totality is longest near the middle of the strip and shorter towards its edges. Outside the strip only a partial eclipse is visible. Even with more than 90 percent of the Sun covered, the remaining part is still dazzling and the corona does not appear, so seeing totality means getting inside the strip.
The safety rule is clear. As long as any part of the Sun is showing, you must wear eclipse glasses certified to ISO 12312-2. Only during totality, while the Sun is completely covered, is it safe to take them off and look with bare eyes, and they must go back on as soon as the first point of sunlight returns. Binoculars, telescopes and cameras need a solar filter fitted over the front, and that filter can come off only during totality too.
If you plan to travel, it is wise to prepare early. Daytime temperatures in southern Egypt in August can rise above 40 degrees Celsius, so shade and water matter. Towns on the path are expected to be crowded, so accommodation and transport need planning well ahead. If you cannot go, replay the day in the orbit view: the Sun, Moon and Earth are reproduced lining up, with the Moon's shadow sweeping across Earth's surface.
See this for yourself — open that sky at that moment · replay the moment in the orbit view
Why this eclipse is special
A total eclipse is the only time the corona, the outermost layer of the Sun's atmosphere, can be seen with the naked eye. The corona is about a million times fainter than the Sun's bright surface, so it is normally lost in the glare. Yet the surface is about 5,500 degrees Celsius while the corona is over a million degrees. Why the outer layer is hotter is still an open question, which is why scientists still observe the corona during eclipses.
A long totality also gives scientists more to work with. There is time to use instruments that split light into its colours to examine the corona at several heights, and to measure the shape of its magnetic field with special cameras. In 1919 Arthur Eddington measured starlight bending near the eclipsed Sun and so confirmed Einstein's general theory of relativity. Those few minutes of darkness have long been a chance for important experiments.
The event carries cultural weight as well. Luxor and Mecca, both on the path, lie in regions where people have watched and recorded the sky for thousands of years. Luxor is home to the temples of Karnak, where ancient Egyptians worshipped the sun god Amun-Ra. More than six minutes without the Sun above those temples will be a moment where an astronomical event meets the memory of an old civilisation.
Background and earlier eclipses
This eclipse belongs to Saros 136, one of the families of solar eclipses. A saros is the cycle of about 18 years, 11 days and 8 hours after which the Sun, Earth and Moon return to almost the same arrangement. Family 136 has produced several unusually long totalities. Its previous member, on 22 July 2009, crossed India and China with up to 6 minutes 39 seconds, and the one before that, on 11 July 1991, gave Hawaii and Mexico 6 minutes 53 seconds.
A long totality needs several conditions to come together. When Earth is on the far side of its orbit from the Sun, the Sun looks slightly smaller; when the Moon is on the near side of its orbit, it looks slightly larger. And when the shadow crosses ground close to the equator, Earth's spin carries that ground quickly in the same direction as the shadow, so the ground partly keeps up with it. On 2 August 2027 these conditions line up together.
The next member of the family, on 12 August 2045, crosses the United States and also gives more than six minutes of totality. No totality on land will be longer than 2027's until 2114, however.
The path
Totality begins at the Strait of Gibraltar, clips southern Spain, then crosses northern Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt (Luxor) before leaving via Mecca, Yemen and Somalia. The path is up to 258 km wide — and August skies over the Egyptian desert are among the clearest on Earth.
City by city
Observing guide
Protect your eyes first
Use ISO 12312-2 certified eclipse glasses for all partial phases — sunglasses or film will burn your retina. Only during totality itself is it safe to look with bare eyes.
Where to watch
Totality lasts longest near the centerline. Luxor combines 6+ minutes with an ancient-temple backdrop — book accommodation during 2026; eclipse lodging typically sells out over a year ahead.
What you will see
Expect the diamond ring, Baily's beads, then the corona blooming around a black sun. Six minutes is long enough to watch the corona's structure, a 360° horizon sunset, and planets popping out in the daytime sky.
Rehearse it first
Hit the simulator button below to jump to Luxor one hour before maximum — speed up time and rehearse exactly how the sky will darken.
FAQ
Is it visible from the Americas or East Asia?
Hardly. Totality is limited to southern Spain, North Africa and the Middle East, and the partial eclipse covers most of Europe, Africa and South Asia. In the Americas only far-eastern Canada and the tip of Maine see a partial eclipse, and East Asia sees none, so replay it in the simulator.
Why is it so long?
Earth is near aphelion (small Sun), the Moon near perigee (big Moon), and the shadow crosses near the equator slowly. At 6 min 23 s it's the longest on easily accessible land since 1991 — and until 2114. (The 22 July 2009 eclipse reached 6 min 39 s, but its maximum fell over the open Pacific.)
When is the next big one?
Before this: Iceland & Spain on 2026-08-12. After: totality crosses downtown Sydney on 2028-07-22. See the full calendar on our events page.
How long does totality last?
Up to 6 minutes 23 seconds, at a point about 60 km south-east of Luxor. It gets shorter towards the edges of the path, and outside the path there is no totality at all.
Is a partial eclipse worth seeing?
It is worth seeing, but it is a different event. Even with 90 percent of the Sun covered, the remaining part is dazzling, so the day barely darkens and the corona does not appear. A partial eclipse must always be watched through eclipse glasses.
Is it ever safe to look without filters?
Only during totality, while the Sun is completely covered. As soon as sunlight starts to return the glasses must go back on, and during the partial phases the Sun must never be viewed without a filter.
Where can it be seen?
Totality crosses southern Spain, Gibraltar, northern Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Somalia, peaking at 10:07 UTC near Luxor. A partial eclipse covers nearly all of Europe, including the UK and Ireland, most of Africa, the Middle East and South Asia, and reaches Iceland and Atlantic Canada; most of the Americas, East Asia and Australia are outside it. Setting the sky view to Luxor reproduces the sky of that day.
Related
- The 2028 total eclipse over Sydney
- The 1919 eclipse that tested relativity
- The Sun — object index
- The Moon — object index
Times and figures are approximate — verify with official sources when planning travel. Simulation uses J2000 mean elements.