Watch a total eclipse

Watching a total eclipse means standing inside the narrow path where the Moon covers the Sun completely, for a few minutes of twilight in the middle of the day. The next two cross land on 2 August 2027, from southern Spain across North Africa to Arabia, and on 22 July 2028, across Australia and New Zealand.

The next total eclipses

2 August 2027. The path crosses southern Spain and Gibraltar, then North Africa: northern Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt and Sudan; then Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Somalia, ending over the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean. Near Luxor, in Egypt, totality lasts about 6 minutes 20 seconds, the longest over land until 2114.

22 July 2028. The path crosses Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Australia from the Kimberley to Sydney, and New Zealand's South Island, including Queenstown and Dunedin.

The last one, on 12 August 2026, crossed Greenland, Iceland, northern Spain and a corner of Portugal.

Where to do it

The Strait of Gibraltar, Spain (2027)

Almost all of Cádiz province and much of Málaga's coast are inside the path, and Tarifa gets more than four minutes of totality. It's August beach season in Spain, so book a year ahead.

Gibraltar (2027)

The whole of Gibraltar is in the path, with the Rock as a backdrop. Beds are few, so many watchers will come over from Spain for the day.

Tangier, Morocco (2027)

Northern Morocco sits closer to the center line than Spain, so Tangier gets longer totality than the Spanish coast across the strait, a short ferry ride away.

Luxor, Egypt (2027)

The place for the longest totality, in the early afternoon, with the temples of Karnak and the Valley of the Kings nearby. August in Egypt's south is fiercely hot: plan shade, water and a hat; clear skies are likely.

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (2027)

The Red Sea city is inside the path, and so is Mecca, which only Muslims may enter. Check visa rules for Saudi Arabia well ahead.

Sydney, Australia (2028)

The path passes directly over Sydney in the early afternoon, with more than three minutes of totality. July is winter in Australia: many watchers will keep a car ready to chase clear sky inland. Totality lasts longest in the Kimberley in the far northwest, and from Europe or North America the flight is likely more than 8,000 km in one hop.

Queenstown and Dunedin, New Zealand (2028)

The path ends over the south of New Zealand's South Island in the mid-afternoon, low in the winter sky. The rest of New Zealand sees only a partial eclipse.

Christmas Island, Australia (2028)

One of the first places the 2028 shadow touches, on a small Australian territory in the Indian Ocean. Flights to Christmas Island are few, so it's a splurge with few rivals for space.

How to make it happen

• Protect your eyes. Look at the Sun only through eclipse glasses or a viewer that meets the ISO 12312-2 standard, during every partial phase. Take them off only once the Sun is completely covered, and put them back on as soon as the first bright light returns. Sunglasses are not enough.
• Filter your cameras and binoculars. NASA warns never to look through a camera, telescope or binoculars with eclipse glasses on: the optics need their own solar filter on the front.
• Buy glasses from a reputable seller. Fakes printed with "ISO" exist; the American Astronomical Society lists trusted vendors.
• Get inside the path, near the middle. Outside it you see only a partial eclipse, and near its edge totality lasts seconds. Check the path maps on NASA's eclipse pages.
• Book early and stay flexible. Rooms in the path go years ahead, and clouds decide everything on the day.
• Take a photo where you watch, on the day, with camera location on.