Why is this eclipse so long?

Three factors add up: the Moon near Earth looks larger, the summer Sun is slightly smaller, and the shadow sweeps over latitudes close to the equator, where Earth’s rotation keeps pace with its movement. Totality reaches 6 min 23 s near Luxor, a maximum the century won’t reproduce over land.

What will you see from Western Europe on August 2, 2027?

A fine partial eclipse in the late morning, around midday: about half the Sun hidden on the Mediterranean coast and in Corsica, a good third further north. Certified ISO 12312-2 glasses mandatory from start to finish.

Where should you go to live the totality at its closest?

Southern Andalusia is the most accessible option from Western Europe: Cádiz and Málaga sit right in the band of totality in the late morning. The closer the destination gets to Egypt, the longer totality lasts, up to more than six minutes toward Luxor.

Moon calendar · eclipses

The solar eclipse of August 2, 2027 six minutes of night in broad daylight.

On August 2, 2027, the Moon’s shadow crosses southern Spain, the Maghreb, Egypt and the Arabian Peninsula: a total solar eclipse whose totality peaks at 6 minutes and 23 seconds near Luxor, the longest of the 21st century over land. From Western Europe, the eclipse is partial in the late morning, far more pronounced in the south. Peak at 10:07 UTC, i.e. 12:07 in Paris, new Moon at 10° of Leo.

The essentials

Date: August 2, 2027
Type: total solar, up to 6 min 23 s of totality
Peak: 10:07 UTC, i.e. 12:07 in Paris
Totality visible from: southern Spain (Cádiz, Málaga), northern Morocco and Algeria, Libya, Egypt (Luxor), Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Somalia
In Western Europe: partial in the late morning: about half the Sun hidden near the Mediterranean, a third further north
Sign occupied: Sun and Moon at 10° of Leo

What happens that day?

Everything lines up at its best that Monday: the Moon is near its perigee, so apparently large; Earth is near its aphelion, so the Sun looks a little smaller; and the band of totality travels close to the equator, where Earth’s rotation slows the shadow’s movement across the ground. The result: a totality that stretches up to 6 minutes and 23 seconds in southern Egypt, a luxury the century won’t offer again over land.

During those minutes, along the band, day goes out: the planets appear, the solar corona spreads its plumes around the black disc, the horizon catches fire like a circular twilight. Ordinary total eclipses last two or three minutes; this one leaves time to breathe, to look, and even to glance down at the transformed landscape.

Where and how to watch it?

The band of totality enters Europe through the Strait of Gibraltar: Cádiz, Málaga and Tangier live the night in broad daylight in the late morning. The shadow then races over northern Algeria and Libya, reaches Egypt where Luxor, closest to the peak, enjoys the longest minutes, then crosses the Red Sea toward Mecca and Jeddah, Yemen and Somalia. Southern Spain will be the simplest destination from Western Europe.

From Western Europe, the eclipse is partial, around midday: the Moon hides about half the solar disc near the Mediterranean, a good third further north. The midday light will take on that slight cold veil characteristic of deep partials.

Protection is mandatory from first to last contact everywhere in Western Europe and outside the band of totality: certified ISO 12312-2 eclipse glasses, never sunglasses or improvised filters, or indirect pinhole viewing. Only the minutes of totality, on the band itself, can be taken in with the naked eye; the moment the first ray returns, the glasses go back on.

What astrology reads into it

This eclipsed new Moon stands at 10° of Leo, in the heart of the Leo-Aquarius run that shapes the eclipses of 2026-2027. Leo is the fire of the heart: creation, frank joy, the place you claim at the center of your own life. A totality this long, this visible, has always struck the imagination; tradition reads in it a great beginning, whose reach unfolds over months.

The axis recalls its balance: across from Leo, Aquarius makes sure the individual heart also serves something larger. The eclipse predicts nothing for anyone; it poses a question of the season: what, in you, is asking to shine without apology, and for whom does that light shine?

And the next one?

The season closes on August 17, 2027 with a penumbral lunar eclipse reserved for the Pacific and the Americas, and not visible from Western Europe. The calendar will then move on to 2028, a busy year: two solar eclipses, one of them total over Sydney, and three lunar eclipses, one of them total on the evening of December 31, visible from Western Europe.

Frequently asked questions

Why is this eclipse so long?: Three factors add up: the Moon near Earth looks larger, the summer Sun is slightly smaller, and the shadow sweeps over latitudes close to the equator, where Earth’s rotation keeps pace with its movement. Totality reaches 6 min 23 s near Luxor, a maximum the century won’t reproduce over land.
What will you see from Western Europe on August 2, 2027?: A fine partial eclipse in the late morning, around midday: about half the Sun hidden on the Mediterranean coast and in Corsica, a good third further north. Certified ISO 12312-2 glasses mandatory from start to finish.
Where should you go to live the totality at its closest?: Southern Andalusia is the most accessible option from Western Europe: Cádiz and Málaga sit right in the band of totality in the late morning. The closer the destination gets to Egypt, the longer totality lasts, up to more than six minutes toward Luxor.