Solar Eclipse 2027: The Total Eclipse of 2 August
Totality lasts up to 6 minutes 23 seconds along a path from Spain and Morocco to Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Somalia. From London it is a partial eclipse: about 42% of the Sun covered, at its deepest around 10:00 BST.
Solar eclipse 2027 at a glance
The eclipse of 2 August 2027 is total. The Moon's shadow comes in over the Atlantic, crosses the Strait of Gibraltar, runs along North Africa and the Red Sea, and leaves the Earth over the Indian Ocean. NASA puts the greatest eclipse in Egypt, at 25.5°N 33.2°E, where the Sun is 82° high and totality lasts 6 minutes 23 seconds. Wikipedia lists it as the second-longest total eclipse of the 21st century, after 22 July 2009, and the longest on easily accessible land until 3 June 2114.
NASA also lists an annular eclipse earlier in the year, on 6 February 2027, with its greatest eclipse at 31.3°S 48.5°W. This page covers the August one, the only total solar eclipse of 2027.
What time is the 2027 solar eclipse?
Spain's Instituto Geográfico Nacional gives the global span as 07:30 UTC, when the Moon's outer shadow first touches the Atlantic, to 12:43 UTC over the Indian Ocean, which is 313 minutes. The moment of greatest eclipse is 10:07 UTC. What you see depends on where you stand, so the table gives the start and length of totality for cities inside the path.
| City | Totality starts (local clock) | Totality lasts |
|---|---|---|
| Tangier, Morocco | 09:44:47 | 4 min 51 s |
| Oran, Algeria | 09:51:10 | 5 min 08 s |
| Cádiz, Spain | 10:45:29 | 2 min 56 s |
| Ceuta, Spain | 10:45:26 | 4 min 49 s |
| Gibraltar | 10:45:39 | 4 min 28 s |
| Málaga, Spain | 10:48:12 | 1 min 57 s |
| Benghazi, Libya | 11:27:58 | 6 min 11 s |
| Luxor, Egypt | 13:02:14 | 6 min 22 s |
| Jeddah, Saudi Arabia | 13:22:21 | 5 min 53 s |
| Sanaa, Yemen | 13:44:15 | 2 min 39 s |
| Bosaso, Somalia | 13:58:18 | 4 min 08 s |
Figures come from timeanddate, as reproduced on Wikipedia. Spain's national geographic institute publishes slightly different seconds for the Spanish cities: Ceuta 4 min 48 s, Cádiz 2 min 54 s, Málaga 1 min 48 s. Maps do not model the Moon's uneven edge, which can shift timings by a few seconds, so treat the last digit as approximate. The partial phase before and after totality adds roughly an hour on each side.
Can you see the 2027 solar eclipse from the UK or the US?
United Kingdom: a partial eclipse, about 42% in London
The whole of the UK sees a partial eclipse in the morning, with no totality. In London the Moon starts to cover the Sun at 09:03 BST, the maximum is 41.92% at 10:00 BST with the Sun 40° above the horizon, and the eclipse ends at 10:59 BST (timeanddate and Orbital Radar, which cross-checks against NASA data). The further north, the smaller the bite.
| Place | Maximum coverage of the Sun |
|---|---|
| London | 42% |
| Birmingham | 38% |
| Manchester | 35% |
| Glasgow | 28% |
| Edinburgh | 27% |
Figures for the other four cities come from Orbital Radar. At 42% the Sun is still a bright crescent, and nothing about the light tells you the Sun is dangerous to look at. Glasses are needed from first contact to last (see the safety section below).
Elsewhere in Europe and North Africa
Coverage climbs quickly towards the south. Timeanddate lists these maximums for cities outside the path: Paris 51.31%, Rome 74.58%, Athens 78.30%, Madrid 86.38%, Lisbon 92.54%, Cairo 94.79% and Casablanca 97.21%. The Spanish institute adds that the Sun is covered by at least 70% anywhere in Spain, including the Canary Islands, and ESA quotes 76 to 82% in the Canary Islands and about 76% in the Pyrenees.
United States and Canada
The path of totality does not come near North America. ESA and Sky at Night magazine describe the partial zone as Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia, but NASA's future-eclipses page also lists eastern Canada and northern Maine. A calculation from NASA's eclipse data puts that partial eclipse at dawn, with the Sun at or just above the horizon: about 2 to 3% of the Sun covered in northern Maine, 15% in Halifax, 26% in Sydney (Nova Scotia) and 29% in St John's. Anyone in those areas should check a local prediction tool. New York, Boston, Montreal and Toronto see nothing, and neither does the rest of the US and Canada.
Path of totality: which countries see the Sun fully covered
The National Solar Observatory lists Spain, Gibraltar, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Somalia. Wikipedia adds islands of the British Indian Ocean Territory. The maximum width of the shadow is 258 km, so the path is a strip at most 258 km across.
Spain and Gibraltar
According to the Instituto Geográfico Nacional, totality covers Ceuta and Melilla, almost all of Cádiz province, much of Málaga province and the southernmost parts of Granada and Almería. It starts at about 10:45 local time. Ceuta has the longest totality in Spain, 4 min 48 s, and Melilla 4 min 34 s. In Gibraltar the Sun stands 38° high, almost due east (azimuth 95°), according to Eclipsophile.
Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya
Tangier gets 4 min 51 s and Oran 5 min 08 s. In Tunisia the path crosses the centre of the country: Sfax gets 5 min 41 s and Gafsa 5 min 09 s. Benghazi, on the Libyan coast, gets 6 min 11 s, at about 11:30 local time.
Egypt and the Arabian Peninsula
The longest totality is in southern Egypt. Luxor gets 6 min 22 s, Sohag 6 min 23 s and Nag Hammadi 6 min 24 s. Cairo is outside the path, at 94.79%. East of the Red Sea, Jeddah gets 5 min 53 s, Mecca 5 min 10 s and Khamis Mushait 6 min 00 s, before the shadow crosses Yemen and ends at the tip of the Horn of Africa in Somalia.
Why 2027 is so much longer than the 2026 eclipse
The total eclipse of 12 August 2026 is behind us. NASA's figures show how different the two events are.
| 12 Aug 2026 | 2 Aug 2027 | |
|---|---|---|
| Greatest eclipse | 17:46 UT | 10:07 UT |
| Magnitude | 1.0386 | 1.0790 |
| Longest totality | 2 min 18 s | 6 min 23 s |
| Widest part of the path | 294 km | 258 km |
The 2027 shadow is narrower but stays on any one spot almost three times longer. Wikipedia notes that the Moon passes its closest point to Earth about 2.5 hours after the greatest eclipse, so it looks large, and NASA gives the Sun an altitude of 82° at the greatest eclipse. A bigger Moon and a Sun almost overhead both lengthen totality.
Where to watch: cloud, heat and bookings
Cloud
Eclipsophile, which compiles satellite and station records, finds the clearest skies in the Egyptian desert: almost no prospect of cloud at Siwa and Bahariya oases, and some stretches of Libya and western Egypt had no August cloud on the date in 23 years of records. Benghazi is rated a very good site. Inland Spain averages under 15% August cloud, while the Strait coast is less certain: Cádiz recorded sun on 88% of days in the survey, Tarifa and nearby coast 74%, and Gibraltar a 74% chance of a sunny view.
On the Moroccan side, Eclipsophile advises avoiding the coast between Tetouan and El Jebha and the Asilah and Larache stretch, where sea cloud can linger.
Heat
Totality in Luxor is at about 13:05 local time. Over 17 years the average high there on 2 August was 42.0°C, with a record of 46°C.
Bookings
Wikipedia reports that hotels in southern Spain and Morocco were already selling out in December 2025. Pick a main spot well inside the path and a backup an hour or two away, then choose between them on the morning from the forecast. Eclipsophile points to the Barcelona Regional Dust Center and Meteoblue for 72-hour dust forecasts.
Eclipse glasses and eye safety on 2 August 2027
Outside totality
NASA's rule is plain: solar viewers should meet the ISO 12312-2 standard, and ordinary sunglasses, however dark, are not safe for looking at the Sun. A partial eclipse such as London's 42% needs the same glasses as a deep one. Inspect glasses before each use and throw away any that are torn, scratched or otherwise damaged.
During totality
You can look without protection only while the Moon completely covers the Sun, and only inside the path. NASA says to put glasses back on the moment bright sunlight returns. In Cádiz that window is under 3 minutes, so keep the glasses in your hand.
Cameras, binoculars and telescopes
These need a solar filter fitted over the front of the optics. NASA warns never to combine eclipse glasses with a telescope or binoculars, because the concentrated light burns through the filter.
Buying a pair
The American Astronomical Society advises buying from known manufacturers or their authorised dealers and not from online ads or search results. For Europe it points to the Eclipse Seguro list maintained by OVAE. Our eclipse glasses guide explains how to check a pair, and a damaged or counterfeit pair gives no protection.
After 2 August 2027
The next solar eclipse is an annular one on 26 January 2028 (NASA: magnitude 0.921, ring lasting up to 10 min 27 s, path 323 km wide). An annular eclipse never has a safe no-glasses moment; details are on our solar eclipse 2028 page. NASA also lists a total eclipse on 22 July 2028 with up to 5 min 10 s of totality. The full list to 2030 is in our next solar eclipse calendar.
Sources: NASA, Instituto Geográfico Nacional, ESA, National Solar Observatory, timeanddate, Eclipsophile, Wikipedia.
Frequently asked questions
What time is the solar eclipse on 2 August 2027?
Greatest eclipse is at 10:07 UTC. Totality starts around 10:45 local time in Cádiz and Ceuta, 09:44 in Tangier and 13:02 in Luxor. In London the partial eclipse runs from 09:03 to 10:59 BST, peaking at 10:00.
Can you see the 2027 solar eclipse from the UK?
Yes, as a partial eclipse. London sees about 42% of the Sun covered at 10:00 BST, Edinburgh about 27%. Eclipse glasses are needed throughout.
Is the 2027 solar eclipse visible from the United States?
Barely. The path of totality is in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. NASA lists a partial eclipse for eastern Canada and northern Maine, at dawn: about 2 to 3% of the Sun in northern Maine and about 29% in St John's, Newfoundland. The rest of the US and Canada sees nothing.
Where is totality longest?
In southern Egypt, near Luxor, with up to 6 min 23 s according to NASA. In Spain the longest is Ceuta with 4 min 48 s, according to the Instituto Geográfico Nacional.
Where is the best place to watch the eclipse?
For the best odds of a clear sky, Eclipsophile favours the Egyptian desert oases and Benghazi, with inland Spain also under 15% average cloud. Luxor has the longest totality but an average August high of 42.0°C.
Can I take my glasses off during totality?
Only inside the path and only while the Sun is completely covered. Put them back on as soon as bright sunlight returns. Outside the path, glasses stay on from start to finish.