Mark this one in your diary. During the solar eclipse 2 August 2027, a Monday, the Moon will fully cover the Sun over a long strip of Spain, North Africa and the Middle East. People are already calling it the Eclipse of the Century. After reading the numbers, I get why.
Pick a spot near Luxor in Egypt and you’re looking at roughly 6 minutes and 22 seconds with no Sun at all. Six-plus minutes of night in broad daylight. I still can’t quite picture it.
Contents
- So why do people call it the longest eclipse of the century?
- The solar eclipse 2 August 2027 path of totality, roughly mapped
- Totality times in key cities
- Can you see it from India?
- Eye safety comes first
- Planning a trip for totality? A few tips
- Solar eclipse 2027 FAQ
So why do people call it the longest eclipse of the century?
I have to own up to something about that title. If you go strictly by the numbers, 2027 only takes silver for this century. The eclipse of 22 July 2009 went on for 6 minutes and 39.5 seconds at its peak, but the peak sat out over the Pacific, and the best spot on land was a remote island where you need special permission even to land.
The 2027 one peaks at about 6 minutes and 23 seconds on land in Egypt that people can actually reach. Wikipedia calls it the longest total eclipse on easily reachable land this century. A longer one won’t happen until 3 June 2114. So for most of us, this is the one.
The solar eclipse 2 August 2027 path of totality, roughly mapped
The shadow starts over the eastern Atlantic. Next it cuts through the Strait of Gibraltar. If you’ve never looked at it on a map, that’s the skinny gap of water between Spain and Morocco. After that it’s North Africa all the way, and then on into the Middle East.
Here’s the rough order. Spain gets Cádiz, Ceuta, Marbella and Málaga, with Gibraltar sitting right in the middle of it all. Across the water, Tangier is in, and so are Oran over in Algeria and Sfax on the Tunisian coast. Benghazi in Libya and Luxor in Egypt come next. The shadow then jumps the Red Sea to Jeddah and Mecca, slips over Sanaa in Yemen, and finally fades out around the tip of the Horn of Africa, in Somalia.
The point of greatest eclipse, according to timeanddate, comes at 10:06:40 UTC, so around 3:36 in the afternoon if you’re reading this in India like me. Their count says roughly 88.9 million people live inside the zone that gets totality.
Totality times in key cities
| Place | Totality starts (local time) | Totality lasts (min:s) |
|---|---|---|
| Cádiz, Spain | 10:45:29 | 2:56 |
| Gibraltar | 10:45:39 | 4:28 |
| Marbella, Spain | 10:46:53 | 3:21 |
| Málaga, Spain | 10:48:12 | 1:57 |
| Tangier, Morocco | 09:44:47 | 4:51 |
| Oran, Algeria | 09:51:10 | 5:08 |
| Sfax, Tunisia | 10:08:54 | 5:41 |
| Benghazi, Libya | 11:27:58 | 6:11 |
| Luxor, Egypt | 13:02:14 | 6:22 |
| Jeddah, Saudi Arabia | 13:22:21 | 5:53 |
| Mecca, Saudi Arabia | 13:24:06 | 5:10 |
| Sanaa, Yemen | 13:44:15 | 2:39 |
| Bosaso, Somalia | 13:58:18 | 4:08 |
The times above are local times from the Wikipedia city table. Move a little closer to the centre line and you often gain extra seconds.
Can you see it from India?
Yes, but only as a partial eclipse. Totality does not reach India.
According to timeanddate, the partial phase is visible in India from about 3:34 pm to 5:53 pm IST, depending on where you are. In New Delhi it starts at 3:53 pm, peaks at 4:29 pm and ends at 5:02 pm. The Moon covers only a small part of the Sun there. Mumbai sees more. There it runs from 3:47 pm to 5:31 pm, with the peak at 4:41 pm.
There’s a catch, though. August is monsoon season. Timeanddate says the sky on 2 August has been cloudy 88% of the time in Delhi since 2000. For Mumbai it’s 92%. So keep your hopes in check, and have a live stream ready as plan B.
Eye safety comes first
This is the part I really want you to read. A sliver of Sun is still the Sun, and it can damage your eyes without you feeling a thing, so protect them properly.
What counts as proper? Real solar eclipse glasses, or a solar filter built for that purpose. Your nice sunglasses don’t count, however dark they look. A pinhole projector made from a cardboard box also works, and it’s a fun little project with kids.
There’s one exception, and only if you’re standing inside the path of totality. Once the Moon has covered the Sun completely, it’s safe to take the glasses off and look with your bare eyes. When that first bright bead of light pops back out, the glasses go straight back on.
For anyone watching from India the rule is simpler, since we only get a partial eclipse. Glasses stay on from the first nibble to the last. I mean it, no quick peeks.
Planning a trip for totality? A few tips
Decide on the place first. Southern Spain is the easy option for anyone flying in from Europe, though the dark phase is shorter there, roughly two to four and a half minutes in the main towns. Egypt is where you go for the full show. Luxor gets around 6 minutes and 22 seconds, and Sohag and Nag Hammadi, not far up the Nile, squeeze out a second or two more.
Then sort out the bookings, and don’t leave it late. Rooms near the centre line tend to vanish once the hype builds, and I’ve never seen hotel prices get kinder as an eclipse gets closer.
Also, it’s going to be hot. North Africa and Arabia in early August are no joke, so think water bottles, a wide hat and some kind of shade to stand under while you wait.
Clouds are the other worry. Having a car helps a lot here, because if the sky looks bad in the morning you can just drive somewhere clearer.
And if you plan to take photos, do a test run at home first. Then, when the light goes, I’d honestly put the camera down for a minute and just stare.
Solar eclipse 2027 FAQ
Remind me, which day is it on?
A Monday, 2 August 2027. Worth putting in your calendar today.
How long does the dark part last?
At the very best spots near Luxor you get about 6 minutes and 22 to 23 seconds.
So is this the longest eclipse ever?
Not quite. The 2009 one ran longer at its peak, but mostly over open ocean, so 2027 wins for land you can actually get to, and nothing beats it on that front until 2114.
Will we get a total eclipse in India?
Sadly no, only a partial one, somewhere between about 3:34 pm and 5:53 pm IST depending on your city.
What are the timings for Delhi?
Things get going at 3:53 pm, the most coverage comes at 4:29 pm, and it’s all over by 5:02 pm IST. Don’t expect much, though, as the Moon only nicks a small corner of the Sun from Delhi.
Can I look at a partial eclipse with bare eyes, just for a second?
Please don’t, not even for a second. Use certified eclipse glasses or a pinhole projector the whole way through.
Which countries actually get totality?
Ten of them by my count: Spain, Gibraltar, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Somalia. Timeanddate goes a bit further and throws in Sudan plus the British Indian Ocean Territory too.
We’re about nine months out as I write this. That’s less time than it sounds, honestly, so get the planning going.
Sources: Wikipedia, timeanddate.