Although no total solar eclipse has occurred since the Great American Eclipse on April 8, 2024, there will be two total solar eclipses in the next two years.
The first total solar eclipse will grace parts of Greenland, Iceland, and Spain on August 12, 2026. The second solar eclipse will occur on August 2, 2027, in parts of North Africa, southern Spain, and the Middle East, and has been dubbed the “solar eclipse of the century.”
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Solar eclipse in August 2026
The 2026 total solar eclipse will begin as sunrise in a remote region of northern Siberia, and the path of the total solar eclipse (the path of the moon’s dark central shadow where it will be seen) will pass through eastern Greenland, the west coast of Iceland, and northern Spain, ending as the eclipse sets in the Mediterranean Sea.
For European observers, this will be the first time since 1999 that a total solar eclipse will be visible from mainland Europe. In Spain, cities such as León, Burgos, and Valladolid will be the best places to witness a total solar eclipse.
The eclipse will be visible about 10 degrees above the horizon. This is about the width of your fist with your arms outstretched.
The totality event occurs near sunset, with the sky likely to be clear for both the eclipse and the peak of the annual Perseid meteor shower later that evening. It may be possible to discover meteors in a sky that looks like total twilight within two minutes.
Travelers looking for the longest sailing distance (just over two minutes) might head to Iceland’s Snæfellsnes Peninsula or the fjords of eastern Greenland. At this latitude in August, the nights are too short to reliably spot meteors. However, the aurora may appear during a short night, or perhaps during a fleeting totality.
August 2027: “Solar Eclipse of the Century”
Every total solar eclipse is special, but the 2027 event is a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle.
The total solar eclipse on August 2, 2027 will last for up to an incredible 6 minutes and 22 seconds and will be visible from the eclipse’s path, which touches parts of Spain, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Somalia.
This solar eclipse has already been hailed as the “eclipse of the century,” with observers near Luxor, Egypt enjoying the longest total solar eclipse of the 21st century. In addition to being the longest total solar eclipse in our time, this event is special for another reason. The weather being in the path of a total solar eclipse means it’s likely to be sunny across the region.
These two total solar eclipses have already excited skywatchers, but a lesser-known total solar eclipse is just around the corner. On 22 July 2028, a total solar eclipse will cross Australia and New Zealand, making Sydney the first to see a total solar eclipse since 1857. Good times are upon us for eclipse enthusiasts around the world.
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