Just 175,000 people will see today’s annular solar eclipse. Images will be flashed across the globe, most likely from Easter Island/Rapa Nui, where committed eclipse-chasers will view a “ring of fire” solar eclipse surrounded by the island’s iconic moai monoliths that date back to around 1250.
The next eclipse is always a popular topic in the wake of these celestial events, but a simple list of the different kinds of eclipses isn’t helpful unless you have a keen eye. So, instead, here are the big total solar eclipses in the next few years that you should try to see — with one in 2027 bound to catch your eye:
- Aug. 12, 2026, in Greenland, Iceland and Spain — 2 minutes 18 seconds.
- Aug. 2, 2027, in Spain, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Yemen or Somalia — 6 minutes 23 seconds.
- July 22, 2028, in Australia or New Zealand — 5 minutes 10 seconds.
Next Eclipses
All total solar eclipses are spectacular in a clear sky. The next eclipse, in 2026, will attract many simply because it’s the following eclipse after April 8’s total solar eclipse across North America. Australia, for the 2028 total solar eclipse, will also attract many.
However, it’s the 2027 total solar eclipse that most eclipse-chasers are most excited about — not least because it’s the longest remaining totality of the 21st century.
It’s also the longest on land since 1991 and until 2114. It will see 89 million people witness totality across southern Spain and North Africa — over twice that of April’s event in North America.
Eclipse Of The Century
Technically, the longest total solar eclipse of the 21st century has already happened, on July 22, 2009, but since the maximum of 6 minutes and 39 seconds of totality was only possible off the coast of Southeast Asia, few, if anyone, experienced it. Many other eclipse observers in China were clouded out.
What happens on August 2, 2027, is something very different. The maximum totality lasting 6 minutes 23 seconds will not only be on land but on prime tourist real estate — Luxor in Egypt. Spilt by the Nile, it’s home to Ancient Egypt’s most magnificent treasures, from Luxor Temple, the Avenue of Sphinxes and Karnak Temple on the east side to the Valley of the Kings, the Temple of Hatshepsut and the Colossi of Memnon on the west bank.
Where To See The 2027 Total Solar Eclipse
If you’re the kind of eclipse chaser who likes to use the events to see the world — and you haven’t yet visited Luxor — it’s a no-brainer. Luxor is where totality will last the longest. There’s a near-zero chance of clouds in North Africa (although a dust storm is possible). The main worry is that temperatures will be about 108 degrees Fahrenheit (42 degrees Celsius) and that a dust storm will kick-off. The city is also destined to be crowded. But nowhere’s perfect.
There are other possible destinations to view the event — though with a slightly shorter totality — in places like Cadiz, Spain: 2 minutes and 47 seconds), Tangier, Morocco (4 minutes and 48 seconds), the Kerkennah Islands, Tunisia (5 minutes and 42 seconds) and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (5 minutes and 54 seconds).
If you’re looking for an “eclipse of the century” to splurge on, stop looking and put Aug. 2, 2027 in your travel planner.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
