On 2 August 2027, the eclipse of a lifetime will pass across parts of northern Africa and south-west Asia. Totality, the period during which the moon covers the entire disc of the sun, will last for 6 minutes and 23 seconds in some areas, making this a profoundly special event. Eclipse chasers are already calling it the “eclipse of the century”.
Only one longer total solar eclipse has occurred in the 21st century, in 2009. A longer one won’t happen until 2114. The most recent eclipse, on 12 August 2026, had a maximum totality of 2 minutes and 18 seconds.
Total solar eclipses occur thanks to a cosmic coincidence: the sun is both about 400 times wider than the moon and about 400 times more distant, so they appear almost exactly the same size in the sky. The differences in the length of totality are because of the geometry of Earth’s orbit around the sun and the moon’s orbit around Earth: when the moon is at its closest, or the sun at its most distant, it takes the moon a little longer to pass across the sun. Based on those orbits, the longest a total eclipse could possibly last is 7 minutes and 32 seconds.
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With 2027’s eclipse getting so close to that maximum, researchers and tourists alike will be flocking to the path of totality to witness the cosmic spectacle. Cities under the path of totality include Luxor in Egypt, Tangiers in Morocco and Cádiz in Spain, and hotels in those areas are already reporting huge numbers of bookings nearly a year in advance. These areas also have a very low likelihood of clouds obscuring the eclipse, making it even more tantalising. Much of Africa, Europe and Asia will experience a partial solar eclipse, with the moon only impinging on the edge of the sun instead of blotting out the whole thing.
Anywhere along the eclipse’s path, totality will occur in the late morning or early afternoon, when the sun will be nearly directly overhead. When the sky goes dark, several planets will be visible, including Mercury, which is usually impossible to view with the naked eye because of its proximity to the sun.
For scientists, eclipses like this one present a perfect opportunity to observe the faint outermost layer of the sun, called the corona. Most of the time, the corona is hidden in the glare of the sun’s disc, but during totality it suddenly becomes visible in shimmering strands beyond the area blocked out by the moon.
The corona is more than 150 times hotter than the surface of the sun, and researchers have been trying to understand why for decades. It is also strangely patchy, making the mystery even more puzzling. While there are scientific instruments, called coronagraphs, that block out the sun’s disc to study the corona, the area blocked during a natural eclipse is much tighter against the sun, allowing us to observe the closest-in areas of the corona, which could be crucial to understanding it.
Total solar eclipse tours and cruises
Explore our tours and cruises designed to help you make the most of experiencing awe-inspiring solar eclipses in handpicked locations around the world.
