Great total eclipse — 6 minutes over Egypt
Six minutes and 23 seconds of darkness — the longest totality on land this century, over the temples of Luxor.
📍 Visible from where you are right now — computed in your browser
bearing · altitude · rise time · best time tonight
Until maximum · Up to 6 min 23 s of totality (about 60 km south-east of Luxor; ~6 min 20 s in the city)
The moment of Great total eclipse — 6 minutes over Egypt: https://nowsky.org/e/solar-eclipse-2027 — opens at the right place and time, replayable, no login.
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The story
The numbers explain the "eclipse of the century" label: up to 6 minutes 23 seconds of totality — nothing longer touches land between 2027 and 2114 — a path up to 258 km wide, and August skies over the Egyptian desert that rank among the clearest on Earth.
The shadow arrives from the Atlantic, clips the southern tip of Spain at the Strait of Gibraltar, crosses northern Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya, and peaks over the Nile valley. At Luxor — city of Karnak and the Valley of the Kings — more than six minutes of darkness falls around local noon. The path then crosses the Red Sea over Mecca and leaves via Yemen and Somalia.
Six minutes is an eternity for totality. A typical total eclipse gives you a little over two minutes, barely time for one photograph; this one leaves room to study the texture of the corona, turn a full circle through the 360-degree sunset, and pick out planets and bright stars. Observers call it the first eclipse you do not have to rush.
A long eclipse is also a forgiving one. Anywhere on the centre line you are guaranteed at least three minutes, and the August clear-sky probability in Upper Egypt runs above 90%. The city guides below break down timings and local conditions point by point, and the simulator lets you rehearse the sky of that day in advance.
Why it matters
A total eclipse is the only chance to see the Sun's corona with the unaided eye. Hundreds of times fainter than the photosphere, it is normally drowned out; for the few minutes the Moon covers the disk exactly, its pearl-white structure appears. That is why solar physicists still travel to eclipses while working on the coronal heating problem — why a 5,500 °C surface is wrapped in a million-degree atmosphere.
Six minutes is scientifically valuable in its own right. A longer totality buys time to scan several coronal heights with a spectrograph, measure magnetic structure with polarising cameras, and hunt for sungrazing comets or objects inside Mercury's orbit. Eddington's 1919 test of general relativity, measuring starlight bent near the Sun, was built on exactly this kind of borrowed darkness.
The cultural weight is real too. Luxor, Giza and Mecca — all on or near the path — are places where people have watched and recorded the sky for thousands of years. Six minutes of vanished Sun above temples raised to Amun-Ra is a rare moment where an astronomical event overlaps with civilisation's own memory.
How to watch
The path of totality runs from southern Spain through Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Somalia. The maximum is near Luxor in Egypt at over six minutes, tapering towards the edges. Outside the path you get only a partial eclipse — Cairo, for instance, sees about 93% coverage, but no corona and no real darkness. A deep partial and a total eclipse are not the same experience, and it is worth several hours of travel to get inside the centre line.
The kit is simple. During the partial phases you need ISO 12312-2 eclipse glasses; the instant the Sun's disk disappears completely — and only then — you take them off and watch with bare eyes. The moment the first bead of sunlight returns, the glasses go back on. Binoculars and telescopes need full-aperture front filters, removable only during totality. The same rule applies to cameras.
Plan the ground logistics early. Daytime temperatures in Upper Egypt in August push past 40 °C, and accommodation along the path starts filling years ahead. An open horizon, a time of arrival that beats the crowds, and shade and water sorted in advance are what actually decide whether the observation works. If travel is not an option, broadcasters and observatories are likely to carry the totality live, and the sky-view replay on this page reconstructs the sky of that moment wherever you are.
See this for yourself — open that sky at that moment · replay the moment in the orbit view
Background
This eclipse belongs to Saros series 136. A saros is the 18-year-11-day-8-hour rhythm in which Sun, Earth and Moon return to nearly the same geometry, so eclipses in one series repeat a family resemblance across generations. Series 136 is a producer of unusually long totalities: its previous member, on 11 July 1991, gave Hawaii and Mexico 6 minutes 53 seconds.
Long totality needs three things to line up. Earth near aphelion, so the Sun appears slightly smaller; the Moon near perigee, so it appears slightly larger; and a path near the equator, where the ground rotates fastest and partly chases the shadow. On 2 August 2027 all three conditions hold at once.
The next comparable chance is far off. The following member of the series, the trans-American eclipse of 12 August 2045, also exceeds six minutes, and no totality on land beats 2027 until 2114. For observers in Korea, the nearest total eclipse is the one crossing the Pyongyang area on 2 September 2035.
The path
Totality begins at the Strait of Gibraltar, clips southern Spain, then crosses northern Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt (Luxor) before leaving via Mecca, Yemen and Somalia. The path is up to 258 km wide — and August skies over the Egyptian desert are among the clearest on Earth.
City by city
City guides
Per-city pages with totality times, local conditions and viewing tips along the path.
Observing guide
Protect your eyes first
Use ISO 12312-2 certified eclipse glasses for all partial phases — sunglasses or film will burn your retina. Only during totality itself is it safe to look with bare eyes.
Where to watch
Totality lasts longest near the centerline. Luxor combines 6+ minutes with an ancient-temple backdrop — book accommodation during 2026; eclipse lodging typically sells out over a year ahead.
What you will see
Expect the diamond ring, Baily's beads, then the corona blooming around a black sun. Six minutes is long enough to watch the corona's structure, a 360° horizon sunset, and planets popping out in the daytime sky.
Rehearse it first
Hit the simulator button below to jump to Luxor one hour before maximum — speed up time and rehearse exactly how the sky will darken.
FAQ
Is it visible from Korea / the US?
No — this one belongs to southern Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. From Korea or the Americas, replay it in the simulator.
Why is it so long?
Earth is near aphelion (small Sun), the Moon near perigee (big Moon), and the shadow crosses near the equator slowly. At 6 min 23 s it's the longest on easily accessible land since 1991 — and until 2114. (The 22 July 2009 eclipse reached 6 min 39 s, but its maximum fell over the open Pacific.)
When is the next big one?
Before this: Iceland & Spain on 2026-08-12. After: totality crosses downtown Sydney on 2028-07-22. See the full calendar on our events page.
How long does totality last?
Up to 6 minutes 23 seconds at the point of greatest eclipse near Luxor, Egypt. It shortens towards the edges of the path, and outside the path totality does not happen at all.
Is a partial eclipse worth seeing?
Worth seeing, but it is a different phenomenon. Even at 90% coverage the remaining sliver is dazzling, so daylight barely dims and no corona appears. With eclipse glasses you can follow nearly two hours of partial phases, but it is not a substitute for totality.
Is it ever safe to look without filters?
Only during totality itself, while the Sun's disk is completely covered. The instant the first sliver of photosphere returns, filters must go back on. During every partial phase, unfiltered viewing is never safe.
Will it be visible from Korea?
No. The path and the partial zone cover southern Europe, Africa, the Middle East and South Asia; East Asia falls outside. The sky-view replay on this page lets you see the sky from any city on the path instead.
Related
- Luxor — the 2027 total eclipse
- The 2028 total eclipse over Sydney
- The 1919 eclipse that tested relativity
- The Sun — object index
- The Moon — object index
Times and figures are approximate — verify with official sources when planning travel. Simulation uses J2000 mean elements.