A ‘Once-in-a-century’ Eclipse Is Coming—but It’s Not on Aug. 2

A rumor online says that the whole world will go dark for six minutes on Aug. 2. It’s not completely true, at least not this year.

Though darkness will not fall this August, there is a significant eclipse that’s scheduled to happen on Aug. 2, 2027 that some are referring to as the “eclipse of the century.” This is most likely the root of the confusion that has sprung up online. On Aug. 2, 2027, the moon will block the sun completely for as long as 6 minutes and 22 seconds, which would be the 21st century’s longest period of totality over land, and the longest since 1991.

In April 2024, the total solar eclipse that passed over North America had totality that lasted for 4 minutes and 28 seconds, which is also long for a total eclipse, but much less than the anticipated eclipse of 2027.

A solar eclipse is when the moon, sun, and Earth align so that the moon’s shadow falls across the surface of the Earth, allowing us to see the moon shifting in front of the sun. When a total solar eclipse happens, the moon completely blocks out the light of the sun, allowing those in the path of totality to experience daytime darkness during the period of the eclipse. 

The next eclipse that is anticipated to last longer than the Aug. 2, 2027 eclipse will happen on July 16, 2114, 87 years later and well into the 22nd century. The path of totality is going to be wider than usual as well, at 160 miles wide, because the moon will be at its closest to the Earth.

Eleven countries will be in the path of totality, including Spain, Gibraltar, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Somalia. Other countries throughout Africa, Europe, and southern Asia, will be able to see a partial eclipse. North America will sit this one out, however, with the 2027 eclipse not visible in the U.S.

For eclipse enthusiasts who don’t want to wait for 2027, a partial solar eclipse will occur on Sept. 21. People in Fiji, Tahiti, New Zealand, and other Pacific Ocean locales will be able to see 80 percent of the sun eclipsed by the moon.