The 2027 eclipse path

The eclipse of August 2, 2027

On August 2, 2027 a total solar eclipse crosses land on three continents, Europe, Africa and Asia, and near Luxor in Egypt the Sun is hidden for more than six minutes, high in the sky. The Moon's shadow first touches the Earth over the Atlantic, crosses the Strait of Gibraltar mid-morning, then runs east across North Africa, Egypt and the Red Sea to Arabia and the Horn of Africa. The map shows the path of totality, where the Moon covers the Sun completely; a partial eclipse is seen across North Africa, the Middle East and most of Europe.

How the path is drawn

The central line is where the axis of the Moon's shadow, the line from the Sun through the Moon, meets the Earth's surface, minute by minute. Its edges are found by testing places across the track: the last place where, at its own moment of greatest eclipse, the Moon's disk still covers the Sun's. Positions come from Astronomy Engine, and the path and times are checked against that library's own eclipse calculations for each place. Durations from other calculators can differ by a few seconds, because they use slightly different sizes for the Moon.

The eclipse in astrology

The eclipse falls at 9°55′ Leo, near the Moon's South Node: astrologers read a South Node solar eclipse as a new start that comes from letting something go. It is the second total solar eclipse in Leo in two years, after the one of August 12, 2026 at 20° Leo. In astrocartography, some astrologers also read the places an eclipse's shadow crosses as places where its themes play out; the path above is exactly that strip.

Watching safely

Only during totality, when the Moon covers the Sun completely, is it safe to look with the naked eye. Before and after totality, and everywhere outside the path, look only through certified solar eclipse glasses (ISO 12312-2) or a proper solar filter. Totality ends suddenly with the first flash of sunlight, so put the glasses back on as soon as it does.