A solar eclipse in 2027 will be the longest in over 100 years
The three celestial bodies are forever dancing around the cosmos and, every 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.
They tend to last 10 seconds or so, but in only a couple of years, one of the longest and most significant eclipses of the 21st century will happen.
The solar eclipse will 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.
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.
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).
This will be the longest eclipse visible from land between 1991 and 2114, making it a once-in-a-lifetime event.
For 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.
After it leaves Egypt, the total eclipse will be 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.
This is the case in the UK, where up to 30% of the Sun will be gobbled up by the Moon from just before 9am (UTC), or 10am UK time, for about two hours.
Skywatchers have been claiming online that the world will be plunged into darkness for six minutes on August 2 this year. More Trending
But this isn't the case, according to astronomical data. It seems users have simply got the year of the lengthy eclipse wrong.
Nasa says the next eclipse, a partial one, will happen on September 21, blanketing Australia, Antarctica and the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.
The soonest total eclipse will be 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.
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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Telegraph
2 days ago
- Telegraph
The future of Alien, without Sigourney Weaver
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2 days ago
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South Wales Argus
2 days ago
- South Wales Argus
Night Sky: There's still time to spot some noctilucent cloud activity
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