Mark Calendar: Longest Solar Eclipse of the Century to Happen on 2 August 2027

A total solar eclipse will take place on the 2nd of August 2027, as it will eclipse the southern part of Europe, North Africa, as well as some of the Middle East. The peak timing for this extraordinary capture will be six minutes and twenty-three seconds, making it one of the longest eclipses during this century.

The figure for most total eclipses is around three minutes in length and the average time for an eclipse is around three minutes. Given that these kinds of activities take place a very few number of times, the long duration certainly makes up for the fact, allowing the lucky few viewers to witness history.

The core reason for this eclipse’s existence stems from a perfect imbalance in the alignment of other celestial objects. This phenomenon makes the Sun look smaller from Earth during the extreme distance (aphelion). The eclipse’s peak timing will also coincide with the Moon being at perigee, which is its closest point to Earth, therefore appearing bigger. In summary, due to all these factors put together the Moon stands a great chance to completely mask the Sun for a longer spell. Moreover, the region near the equator experiences this phenomenon at a very slow speed, lengthening the time awaiting total visual impairment for the audience.

Starting over the Atlantic Ocean, the eclipse will progress eastward to southern Spain before entering Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, northeastern Libya, central Egypt, northeastern Sudan, southwestern Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and northern Somalia. The Moon’s shadow will extend up to 258 kilometers.