Is there a total solar eclipse today (August 2) and six minutes of darkness across world? What NASA said
When is the next solar eclipse?
The false claims confuse the year entirely with a total solar eclipse scheduled for August 2, 2027. A partial eclipse is planned to occur on 21 September 2025. According to the NASA website, a total eclipse will occur on August 12, 2026, and will be visible in Greenland, Iceland, Spain, Russia, and a small area of Portugal. This is the kind of eclipse that occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, but the Sun, Moon, and Earth are not perfectly aligned, resulting in only a part of the Sun appearing to be covered by the Moon.
Real date when Earth will go dark
What is being dubbed as the 'Eclipse of the century' will take place on August 2, 2027. This total solar eclipse will be visible over parts of Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East for a duration of 6 minutes and 23 seconds. Its long duration makes the eclipse a rare occurrence, marking it as the most significant celestial event, something which will not happen till 2114.
For skywatchers across the globe, this event will be visible from various regions, including northern Morocco, northern, central Egypt, southwest Saudi Arabia, Yemen and the northeastern tip of Somalia.
What is a total solar eclipse
A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon entirely covers the face of the Sun, blocking its light from reaching Earth. When this occurs, people from certain locations in the centre of the Moon's shadow are able to experience a brief period of darkness. Also, a ring shape is formed of the Sun's light covered by the Moon, noting that the weather conditions are favourable.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


NDTV
2 hours ago
- NDTV
Perseids Meteor Shower Peak, Other Sky Events To Watch In August
Led by the Perseids meteor shower, August brings a busy skywatching calendar. With planetary pairings and deep-sky objects also on display, the month offers plenty for stargazers worldwide. August 12-13: Perseids Meteor Shower Peaks The Perseids, one of the most popular annual meteor showers, will peak on the night of August 12-13. While active from late July to August 24, this two-night window is expected to be the most intense, with up to 150 meteors per hour or 2-3 per minute, according to This year, the full moon on August 9 may interfere with viewing, washing out fainter meteors. Perseids Meteor Shower To Be Visible In India Viewers in India are advised to head to darker, rural areas for better visibility. Ideal viewing time is from midnight to just before sunrise on August 13. Regions such as Spiti, Ladakh, Rann of Kutch, and remote parts of Karnataka or Uttarakhand are recommended. Those who miss the peak may still catch a few meteors in the days following, especially between August 16 and 20, when moonlight begins to fade. August 26: Mars And The Moon Conjunction On August 26, Mars will appear next to a thin crescent moon in the western sky around 8.15 pm IST. Visible low on the horizon, the pair will stay close for about an hour. No telescope or binoculars are needed. Planetary Viewings August 11-12: Venus-Jupiter Conjunction Venus and Jupiter will appear only one degree apart in the eastern sky before sunrise, according to NASA's JPL. August 12 (early morning): Venus and Jupiter Rise Together Both planets will rise side by side, appearing like two bright stars. August 19-20: Crescent Moon With Venus and Jupiter A thin crescent moon will join the two planets in the eastern sky before sunrise. August 19: Mercury At Greatest Elongation Mercury will be at its most visible this month in the eastern sky before sunrise. It appears low on the horizon. The Dumbbell Nebula The Dumbbell Nebula (M27), one of the easiest planetary nebulae to spot, will be visible all month within the Summer Triangle, high overhead during early nights. It appears as a faint patch of light and marks the remains of a dying star. Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn will be visible at various times this month. Mercury appears low in the east later in August, Venus and Jupiter shine bright in the eastern sky before sunrise, Mars is visible in the west after sunset, and Saturn rises late at night, shifting earlier as the month progresses.


Time of India
4 hours ago
- Time of India
Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin sends 80‑year‑old Indian businessman and others into space
founder Jeff Bezos-owned rocket company Blue Origin has successfully sent an 80-year-old Indian businessman, Arvinder 'Arvi' Singh Bahal, into space as part of its latest mission. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The seasoned world traveller was among a crew of six passengers who embarked on a recent 10-minute journey into outer space. The mission, designated NS-34, was the 34th flight for the New Shepard program. The rocket launched from a private site in West Texas. Joining Bahal on the space tourism flight was cryptocurrency billionaire Justin Sun, who had reportedly paid $28 million for his seat back in 2021. Bahal and Sun were also joined by Turkish entrepreneur and photographer Gökhan Erdem; Puerto Rican journalist and meteorologist Deborah Martorell; British national Lionel Pitchford, who has operated an orphanage in Nepal for over 30 years; and American businessman James (JD) Russell. What Blue Origin said about its latest flight In a post-flight statement shared on the company's blog post, Phil Joyce, senior VP of Blue Origin's New Shepard, said: 'It was an honour to see so many nations represented on our flight today. The view of our fragile planet from space has a unifying effect on all who witness it, and I am always eager to see how our astronauts use this experience for the benefit of Earth.' NS-34 marked the 14th crewed mission of Blue Origin's New Shepard, a suborbital spaceflight system featuring a reusable rocket and capsule. After launch, the rocket returns to Earth for a vertical landing, similar to how Elon Musk-owned SpaceX's Falcon 9 touches down. Meanwhile, the capsule descends gently using parachutes. Each flight lasts around 10 to 12 minutes, during which passengers cross the Kármán line, which is 100 kilometres above sea level and the widely accepted boundary of space. This brief journey allows for a few minutes of weightlessness. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Ticket pricing for these flights remains undisclosed, so it's unclear how much passengers typically pay. However, it is believed to be significantly less than what crypto billionaire Sun paid in 2021. According to Blue Origin, that payment was made as a philanthropic donation. New Shepard continues to offer short yet impactful space experiences for civilian astronauts eager to witness Earth from the edge of space.


Hindustan Times
5 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
With support from China, Pakistan aims to land spacecraft on Moon by 2035
Despite starting its space research programme almost a decade earlier than India, Pakistan is gearing up to land a spacecraft on the Moon by 2035, as stated by the country's Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal, Geo News reported. The lunar mission has been tasked to Pakistan's Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO),(X) The announcement came as the nation currently struggles with the rise of terrorist attacks, basic infrastructure and economic instability. Speaking during a meeting in Beijing with Chinese officials, including Head of China's Atomic Energy Authority and Space Agency Shan Zhongde, Iqbal called for deeper reliance on China to fill gaps in Pakistan's space and nuclear programs, Geo News reported. The lunar mission has been tasked to Pakistan's Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO), which is yet to launch a satellite or space mission all on its own, particularly without the assistance of China. Pakistan will contribute a 35-kilogram lunar rover to China's Chang'e-8 mission in 2028, which aims to explore the Moon's south pole. The rover will conduct scientific experiments, analyse terrain, and assess resource utilisation. Meanwhile, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has made significant strides compared to its neighbour, with notable success with its lunar mission, Chandrayaan and Mars mission, Mangalyaan. India is now also on its way to its first manned mission in space, Gaganyaan, scheduled for the first quarter of early 2027. According to Geo News, the discussion between the two sides, framed as strategic cooperation, largely highlighted Pakistan's growing dependence on Chinese technology and expertise. Iqbal promoted the "Uraan Pakistan" initiative, claiming that the country's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has reinvigorated the country's stagnant space science sector, Geo News reported. He noted that three Pakistani-made satellites were launched recently, though all with significant Chinese assistance, and Pakistan now hopes to again piggyback on China's space station to send its first astronaut by 2026, with no clear independent capability. With climate change and domestic resource crises looming, Iqbal shifted focus to energy, calling for more Chinese support in nuclear power and cutting-edge tech like quantum computing, a field in which Pakistan has little to no native capacity. Pakistan's space sector, led by the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO), was established in 1961 by Dr Abdus Salam, a Nobel laureate and scientific advisor to President Ayub. Insufficient government funding has hindered SUPARCO's progress, with an annual budget of $36 million compared to India's ISRO, which receives significantly more. SUPARCO has faced leadership issues, with retired army generals heading the agency for the past 11 years, raising questions about its scientific direction. Moreover, Pakistan relies heavily on China for satellite launches and development, limiting its indigenous capabilities. Few universities in Pakistan offer space-related courses, restricting the growth of skilled professionals. Meanwhile, the Pakistani government had once again failed to honour its financial commitments under the CPEC, with outstanding payments to Chinese power producers ballooning to PKR 423 billion by June 2025, as reported by The Express Tribune. Chinese official Shan Zhongde responded with predictable diplomacy, praising Pakistan's alignment with Chinese interests and reaffirming Beijing's role as the driving force behind any meaningful scientific or economic advancement Pakistan hopes to achieve.