Eclipse · 2 August 2027
The total solar eclipse of 2 August 2027
On Monday 2 August 2027 the Moon's shadow crosses the Strait of Gibraltar, North Africa and Arabia. Near Luxor, in Egypt, the Sun stays covered for 6 minutes 23 seconds — no total eclipse seen from land will last as long again until 2114.
- Date
- Monday 2 August 2027, around 10:00 UTC at its greatest
- Longest totality
- 6 min 23 s, near Luxor, Egypt
- Path of totality
- Southern Spain, northern Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Somalia
- Partial eclipse
- Much of Europe, Africa and the Middle East
Where the shadow goes
The Moon's shadow touches down in the Atlantic, crosses the southern tip of Spain and the Strait of Gibraltar, and runs east along the coast of North Africa — through Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya — before reaching the Nile valley at Luxor, where the eclipse is at its longest. It then crosses the Red Sea to Jeddah and Mecca, runs down through Yemen, and leaves the land at the Horn of Africa.
Outside that band, about 250 km wide, the Moon covers only part of the Sun. Most of Europe, Africa and the Middle East see a partial eclipse that morning.
Why this one lasts so long
Early August puts Earth near the far point of its orbit, so the Sun looks a little smaller than usual; the Moon is near its closest, so it looks a little larger. The larger the Moon is against the Sun, the wider its shadow and the longer it takes to pass — and near Luxor the shadow falls almost straight down, at midday, close to the equator, where Earth's turning carries the ground along with it.
Watching it safely
Look at the Sun only through eclipse glasses or a solar filter made to ISO 12312-2, for every partial moment before and after. Only while the Sun is completely covered — during totality, inside the path — is it safe to look with the naked eye, and the glasses go back on the moment the first bright bead returns.
In Exo-View
The simulation sets the clock to the eclipse and puts Earth, the Moon and the Sun where they will be: you can watch the shadow sweep across the planet from space, and run time forwards and back through it.
Watch the eclipse in 3D