Total eclipse — North Africa & Middle East
On 20 March 2034 the path of a total solar eclipse runs from West Africa across the Sahara, Egypt, Arabia, Iran and Pakistan to western China. At its longest, totality lasts about 4 minutes 9 seconds.
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The story
On 20 March 2034 there will be a total solar eclipse, in which the Moon completely covers the Sun. The Moon's shadow begins at the southern tip of Benin and in Nigeria in West Africa, then passes over northern Cameroon, Chad, Sudan and Egypt. It crosses the Red Sea to Saudi Arabia and continues through Kuwait, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and northern India before ending in western China.
Totality lasts longest, about 4 minutes 9 seconds, in the Sahara in eastern Chad. There the eclipse is deepest at about 10:18 Universal Time, a little before local solar noon, so the Sun is high in the sky when it disappears. The band of totality is about 160 km wide at its widest.
Several large cities lie inside the path, including Lagos in Nigeria, N'Djamena in Chad, Shiraz in Iran, Islamabad and Peshawar in Pakistan, and Srinagar and Leh in India. Many millions of people will be able to see totality close to home, which makes this eclipse especially notable.
Egypt will see a total eclipse again just seven years after the one that crossed Luxor on 2 August 2027. The two paths cross different parts of the country, however, and the capital, Cairo, lies outside the 2034 path and will see only a partial eclipse. For people who missed 2027, this is a second chance in a nearby region.
Viewing guide — where, when, how
During the partial phases before and after totality, the Sun must only be viewed through eclipse glasses or a certified solar filter. Only during totality, when the Moon completely covers the Sun, is it safe to look with the naked eye. March is when the hot, sand-laden khamsin wind starts to blow in Egypt, and spring can also bring cloudy days. The weather cannot be known in advance, so it is wise to keep several possible sites in mind.
Choose the 2034 eclipse in the event list of NowSky's sky view to replay the Sun being covered from a place on the path. Set the location to Cairo to confirm that only a partial eclipse is seen there, or move to Shiraz or Islamabad to see the local timing and the height of the Sun. The orbit view shows the cone of the Moon's shadow sweeping from Africa into Asia, and it can be compared side by side with the eclipse of 2 August 2027.
See this for yourself — open that sky at that moment · replay the moment in the orbit view
Why this eclipse is special
20 March 2034 is the March equinox, when day and night are nearly equal in length. On this day the Sun sits on the celestial equator, and the point of greatest eclipse is at about 16 degrees north. So near that point the midday Sun stands more than 70 degrees above the horizon. The higher the Sun, the less air its light passes through, which helps give a clear view of the corona.
A total eclipse is a rare chance to see the corona, the Sun's outer atmosphere, which is normally lost in the Sun's glare, with the naked eye. The shape of the corona depends on whether the Sun is in an active or a quiet period. It is still hard to predict exactly what the Sun will be doing in 2034, so the shape of this corona is an open question.
The 2027 and 2034 eclipses belong to different saros series. A saros is a cycle of about 18 years and 11 days after which a similar eclipse comes around again. The 2027 eclipse is part of Saros 136, following the 2009 eclipse over Shanghai, while the 2034 eclipse is part of Saros 130. It is simply a coincidence that two long eclipses from different series pass over neighbouring regions seven years apart.
Background and earlier eclipses
The previous eclipse in Saros 130 was the total eclipse of 9 March 2016, seen from Indonesia, and the next will be on 30 March 2052. Eclipses in the same series repeat in a similar form about every 18 years, but each one happens after Earth has turned about an extra third of a rotation, so the area where it is seen shifts westward.
The African part of the path crosses desert and wide grasslands, and because of access and safety concerns, eclipse travel may be concentrated in a few areas. Where the path crosses the mountains of Iran, Pakistan and northern India, the air at high altitude is clear, but observers must prepare for early-spring cold and snow. The path ends at sunset in western China.
From 2033 to 2035 there is a total solar eclipse every year: over Alaska on 30 March 2033, over Africa and Asia on 20 March 2034, and over East Asia on 2 September 2035. Because the paths are split between the Arctic, the Sahara and Middle East, and East Asia, seeing all three would take three separate trips.
FAQ
How long is totality?
About 4 minutes 9 seconds at the longest, in eastern Chad. It is shorter near the edges of the path and toward its ends.
Can it be seen from Cairo?
Cairo is outside the path of totality and will see only a partial eclipse. Even a partial eclipse must be viewed through eclipse glasses or a solar filter.
How is it different from the 2027 eclipse in Egypt?
The two eclipses belong to different saros series and cross different parts of Egypt. The 2027 eclipse was in the heat of August, while the 2034 eclipse falls on the March equinox, at the start of the khamsin season.
What will the weather be like?
The weather on the day cannot be known in advance. In March, sandy winds can blow in Egypt, and spring clouds may be a factor over inland Arabia and the Iranian plateau. It is best to keep several sites in mind and choose using forecasts in the days before.
Related
- Total solar eclipse of August 2027
- Total eclipse — Alaska (2033)
- Total eclipse over East Asia (2035)
- 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.