August 2, 2027 eclipse guide
The Moon's shadow sweeps from the Atlantic across Spain, North Africa, and Egypt into Arabia — with a high midday sun and up to 6 minutes 23 seconds of totality, the longest most living eclipse chasers will ever see.
Facts cross-checked against NASA GSFC (Espenak), timeanddate, and AAS safety guidance.
Am I in totality?
Start with the path map, then verify your exact pin before booking.
Jump to sectionI am planning Egypt
Luxor and the Nile corridor sit near the climax of the entire path.
Jump to sectionI am seeing a partial eclipse
Most of Europe, Africa, and Asia see a partial eclipse — glasses stay on.
Jump to sectionI am watching with a group
Use the safety rules and checklist for kids, schools, and events.
Jump to sectionI want the science
Understand totality, the corona, Saros 136, and why this eclipse is so long.
Jump to sectionWhy it matters
Unlike the low sunset eclipse of 2026, the Moon's shadow in 2027 crosses near local noon along most of the path. The sun stands high overhead, the umbra moves slowly across the ground, and totality lasts far longer — but the path runs through remote desert, restricted regions, and countries that need real planning.
Near-maximum duration
At 6 minutes 23 seconds, this is close to the longest totality possible on Earth (the theoretical maximum is about 7m32s) and the longest most people alive today will ever witness.
The corona is the prize
During totality the corona — the Sun's outer atmosphere — blazes into view as a pale, structured glow. No partial eclipse ever shows it.
High sun changes everything
Because the sun is near its zenith over Egypt and Arabia, shade, heat, and hydration matter as much as clear sky. There is no low-horizon escape route like 2026.
Logistics start years early
Flights, visas, and lodging along this path can sell out years ahead. Early planning matters more here than for almost any other eclipse this decade.
Path and timing
Global eclipse tables are useful for orientation, but they are not a local observing plan. Use a map for your exact pin and remember that published calculations can differ by a few seconds because of delta-T assumptions, ephemerides, and lunar limb treatment.
2027 Aug 2 · NASA orthographic path
Eclipse predictions: Fred Espenak, NASA’s GSFC. Orthographic visibility maps from NASA’s Five Millennium Canon of Solar Eclipses.
Global UTC stages
These are global milestones, not the times for one city. Each row happens at a different place along the eclipse track.
Where to go
The path is a corridor from the Atlantic to the Arabian Sea. Duration grows the farther southeast you go, but so does travel difficulty, heat, and logistics complexity. The best site is the one where geometry, access, and safety all work together.
Europe meets Africa
The Rock sits squarely in the path with about 4 minutes 27 seconds of totality, nearly a minute and a half longer than nearby Cádiz. Totality arrives with the sun still high, and the dramatic skyline is a gift for photographs — but any ridge or building that clips the solar disk costs precious seconds.
Arrive early; roads and the cable car will be packed on eclipse morning.
Africa's gateway
Tangier is where the path fully commits to Africa: about 4 minutes 51 seconds of totality as the umbra sweeps the Strait. The white medina and Atlantic terraces face Spain across a few kilometres of water — a rare place to watch Europe and Africa share the same darkening sky.
Sea mist can hug the coast — a slightly inland rooftop or hill often beats the waterfront.
The path widens
Along Algeria and Tunisia's Mediterranean coast — Oran, then Sfax near the Gulf of Gabès — totality stretches past 5 minutes as the umbra broadens and slows. Even neighbourhood parks deep inside the shadow get a generous show, with wide southern horizons over the Gulf for uncluttered corona photos.
Late-morning August heat is intense — plan shade for the partial phases, not just totality.
Longest totality on the path
Luxor delivers about 6 minutes 20 seconds of totality with the sun almost overhead, pairing deep umbral darkness with the temples of Karnak on the Nile. Greatest eclipse itself falls a short distance to the east-southeast, in the remote Eastern Desert — Luxor is effectively the practical staging ground for the climax of the entire path.
Hot, dry air usually means excellent transparency — prioritize shade and hydration over chasing the exact centerline.
Arabia's Red Sea leg
Jeddah sees about 5 minutes 59 seconds of totality on the Red Sea as the umbra leaves Egypt and sweeps western Saudi Arabia. Mecca, farther inland, sees a slightly shorter but still spectacular 5 minutes 7 seconds — though access there is restricted to authorized visitors.
Heat and humidity are serious in early August — treat the wait like a midday outdoor event.
Still worth planning
Across Europe, most of Africa, the Middle East, and South and West Asia, many viewers will see a dramatic partial eclipse. Countries far from the centerline — including much of continental Europe, sub-Saharan Africa, and South Asia — all have their own version of the day.
Use certified viewers for the entire event and try projection for kids or groups.
Egypt deep dive
Greatest eclipse — the single moment of longest totality anywhere on Earth this day — occurs at 10:06:38 UTC over Egypt's remote Eastern Desert, near 25.5°N, 33.2°E. Luxor and the Nile corridor are the closest cities with real infrastructure, making them the default base for travelers chasing the maximum.
6m 22.6s at greatest eclipse
NASA GSFC places the absolute maximum duration at 6 minutes 22.6 seconds, with a path width of about 258 km and the sun 81.7° above the horizon — nearly straight up.
Dust and heat, not clouds
Egypt's August sky is usually clear, but midday haze and dust can still soften contrast. A clear line of sight from west to zenith matters more than chasing the exact centerline by a few kilometres.
Hours of waiting in the sun
The partial phases run long before those six extraordinary minutes. Shade, water, and a plan for small children or older relatives matter as much as any camera setting.
The exact point of longest totality lies in Egypt's sparsely populated Eastern Desert, not in Luxor itself. Most travelers watch from Luxor, Aswan, or organized desert excursions rather than attempting to reach the precise centerline — the difference in duration is only a few seconds either way.
Inside vs outside the path
A 99% partial eclipse is still a partial eclipse. Glasses stay on. The corona never appears. Understanding the difference changes how you plan a trip to Spain, North Africa, or Arabia.
Inside the path of totality
Outside the path of totality
Most of continental Europe, sub-Saharan Africa, and South and West Asia will see partial phases. Viewer demand in these regions will be high — order glasses well before the date.
Eye safety
The only moment you may remove viewers is during true totality, inside the path, while the Sun is fully covered. The moment any bright edge reappears, viewers go back on.
Use ISO 12312-2 eclipse glasses or handheld solar viewers whenever any bright part of the Sun is visible.
Outside the path of totality, there is no glasses-off moment, even at 99% coverage.
Inside totality, remove viewers only when the Sun is completely covered, then replace them as soon as bright sunlight returns.
Never use eclipse glasses with cameras, binoculars, telescopes, or other optics.
Optical filters must go on the front, Sun-facing aperture of the lens or telescope.
Supervise children, inspect viewers before use, and discard scratched, torn, or punctured filters.
Need certified eclipse glasses?
Our ISO 12312-2 viewers ship individually or in bulk. Viewer demand peaks weeks before the eclipse — don't leave it late.
Video explainer
With totality this long, understanding what actually happens — the corona, the shadow, the darkness — matters as much as picking a city. This Crash Course Astronomy explainer covers the mechanics and the experience of a total solar eclipse.
Use the video as one input. Confirm your site with NASA GSFC, timeanddate, the Helioclipse 3D map, and local weather and visa guidance in the months before the eclipse.
Science notes
Totality duration depends on how closely the Moon's apparent size matches the Sun's, how close the shadow axis passes to Earth's center, and how fast the ground moves under the shadow near local noon.
A near-perfect size match
The Moon's apparent size on this date is close to its maximum, so it comfortably covers the Sun's disk for an unusually long stretch of the path.
Saros 136
The eclipse belongs to Saros 136, a series known for producing some of the longest total eclipses of the modern era, including this one and the famous eclipse of 2009 in Asia.
The corona
The corona is the Sun's outer atmosphere. It is faint compared with the photosphere, which is why it appears only during true totality or with specialized solar instruments.
Trip checklist
Long-haul eclipse trips reward early preparation: visas confirmed, viewers counted, backup sites chosen, water packed, and everyone knowing the safety routine.
Ready to go deeper?
The 3D map lets you check any pin against the exact path of totality. Certified ISO 12312-2 viewers ship individually or in bulk for schools, tour operators, and public events.
ISO 12312-2 certified · Ships worldwide · Wholesale available
Further reading
Each guide covers one part of the planning puzzle in full. Use them alongside the primary sources for complete confidence before eclipse day.
What the standard means, how to verify compliance, and what to avoid.
How to read the forecast, when to stay put, and when to move for clear sky.
What you will actually see during totality and why each phenomenon matters.
The previous eclipse on the calendar — a low sunset path across Iceland and Spain.
Certified ISO 12312-2 viewers for individuals, families, classrooms, and events.
Open the interactive map and check any location against the 2027 path of totality.
FAQ
Short answers for the decisions most readers need to make before they travel, buy viewers, or organize a group viewing.
The total solar eclipse is on August 2, 2027. Greatest eclipse is near 10:06 UTC over Egypt, with global first partial contact around 07:30 UTC.
Center-line totality reaches about 6 minutes 23 seconds near greatest duration in Egypt, with a path width of about 258 km at greatest eclipse (NASA GSFC).
Totality crosses southern Spain, Gibraltar, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Somalia. A partial eclipse is visible across Europe, most of Africa, the Middle East, and South and West Asia.
At up to 6 minutes 23 seconds, 2027 produces one of the longest total solar eclipses of the 21st century — close to the theoretical maximum of about 7m32s — and it will not be matched again for decades.
Yes. Luxor sees about 6 minutes 20 seconds of totality with the sun nearly overhead, a short distance from the point of greatest eclipse. It has the infrastructure to support large numbers of visitors, unlike the remote desert at the exact centerline.
Mecca falls inside the path with about 5 minutes 7 seconds of totality, but access for non-Muslim visitors is restricted. Medina lies just north of the path and sees a deep partial eclipse of about 95%, not totality.
Yes for every partial phase. Use ISO 12312-2 certified solar viewers whenever any bright solar disk is visible. Only during totality inside the path can you look without a filter, and only until the first bright bead returns.
Start now for Egypt and Arabia: confirm visa and entry requirements, book refundable flights and lodging where possible, and revisit weather-pattern research as the date approaches. Demand along popular stretches of the path tends to rise sharply in the final year.