Will there be a total solar eclipse on August 2? We have the answer
The three celestial bodies are forever dancing around the cosmos and now and then, they line up perfectly, creating an eclipse.
A solar eclipse is when the Moon slides between us and the Sun, casting a shadow of wonder as only the wispy, outer edges of the Sun are visible.
Eclipses can remind us all of our place in the lonely, messy cosmos – after all, they only happen because the Moon is 400 times smaller than the Sun, but is 400 times closer to us. An incredible coincidence.
They tend to last 10 seconds or so, but soon, one of the longest and most significant eclipses of the 21st century will happen.
Skywatchers have been claiming online that the world will be plunged into darkness for six minutes on August 2 this year.
But this isn't the case, according to astronomical data. It seems users have simply got the year of the lengthy eclipse wrong.
The solar eclipse will actually take place on August 2, 2027, in 10 countries.
This one will be a total solar eclipse, when the Sun fully disappears behind the Moon. The moment this happens is called totality.
A line of totality will then slowly drift across the world, where for a few brief minutes the Moon will fully block out the Sun, and darkness will swallow the light of day.
A halo will glow white behind the Moon, the Sun's corona. Spain
Morocco
Algeria
Tunisia
Libya
Egypt
Sudan
Saudi Arabia
Yemen
Somalia
Six minutes, which in the world of cosmic coincidences is a seriously long time, said Greg Brown, a senior astronomer at the Royal Museums Greenwich, told Metro.
'It varies from only a few seconds at its shortest to a theoretical maximum of 7.5 minutes,' he said. 'This variation is due to the Moon and Sun varying in apparent size, itself due to their slightly changing distance from the Earth during the Moon's orbit around the Earth and the Earth's orbit around the Sun.'
But how long stargazers will have to crane their necks will depend on where they live.
The total solar eclipse will only be visible across a thin, 160-mile-long strip of southern Europe and northern Africa where 89 million live, according to Timeanddate.com.
The skies will begin to darken above the Atlantic Ocean at 05.19am (UTC), just as the Sun is rising.
While this is where totality begins, it's not where it will be the longest. As the two cosmic giants do their dance and the Earth spins, totality will only be visible above the Atlantic for three minutes.
Solar eclipses occur when the Moon gobbles up the Sun, leaving a ring of fire around it.
Partial solar eclipses are when the Moon, Sun and Earth are imperfectly aligned, so only a chunk is obscured.
Earth can also get between the Moon and the Sun, creating a lunar eclipse.
To watch one, please don't stare directly at the Sun, which can permanently damage your eyes.
Even if the Moon has completely obscured the Sun, the risk is still high. People can look at the celestial event using eclipse glasses.
You can also project the eclipse onto the ground using items around the house, such as a cardboard box, a kitchen strainer or even your fingers.
The Moon's 258km-wide shadow will then be cast in the aptly-named Costa de la Luz, or 'Coast of the Light', in Spain's Andalusia before gobbling up the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar.
It will also envelop Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt, where it will reach its deepest, longest duration at 6 minutes and 22 seconds from 12.44pm (UTC).
After it leaves Egypt, the total eclipse will last around four to three minutes as the shadow glides through the Red Sea, Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
The eclipse will end with a totally eclipsed sunset near the Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean.
Some nations just to the north or south of the totality line will be able to see a partial solar eclipse, when the Moon takes a smaller bite out of the Sun.
Brown said that the UK sadly won't catch a glimpse of totality – the nation is far too north of the line.
We will have another partial solar eclipse, with around 40% of the Sun covered in the south of England, dropping to around 20% in northern Scotland,' he added.
'The partial eclipse will begin around 9.20am for us in the UK, ending around 10.50am with the maximum occurring around 10am.
The 2027 eclipse will be around 16 seconds shorter than the July 22, 2009, eclipse, Brown said, the longest solar eclipse this century.
'However, while the 2009 eclipse was longer, it occurred almost entirely over the ocean, making it very difficult to observe,' he said.
Nasa says the next eclipse, a partial one, will happen on September 21, blanketing Australia, Antarctica and the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.
The next total eclipse will be on August 12, 2026. It will only be visible in a sliver of Greenland, Iceland, Spain and Russia, while Europe, Africa and North America will be treated with a partial solar eclipse. More Trending
This eclipse, Brown said, is Britain's 'best bet' for seeing this awe-inspiring sight.
'The whole of the UK will experience at least a 90% eclipse and Cornwall will experience a 96% eclipse,' he said. 'Definitely one to look out for.'
But if you don't manage to catch it, you'll have to wait a while, explained Matt Irvine, of the Astronomical Society of Haringey, a London stargazing club.
'Next one for us is, I think, 2090,' he told Metro.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
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