Counting down to the next eclipse
Annular Solar Eclipse
February 6, 2027
A 'ring of fire' eclipse crossing southern Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, and West Africa — with a total solar eclipse following on August 2, 2027 across Spain, Egypt, and the Middle East.
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See what's inside the guide →The next two solar eclipses
The next solar eclipse anywhere in the world is an annular solar eclipse on February 6, 2027. The path of annularity — the "ring of fire" — crosses southern Chile and Argentina, clips coastal Uruguay and a sliver of Brazil, then crosses the Atlantic to reach Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Nigeria in West Africa. A partial eclipse will be visible across much of the rest of South America, parts of Antarctica, and the western half of Africa. (Source: NASA/Espenak eclipse predictions via EclipseWise.com.)
The next total solar eclipse worldwide will occur on August 2, 2027. Totality sweeps across southern Spain, North Africa — including Egypt, where it passes directly over Luxor — and parts of the Middle East, with a partial eclipse visible far beyond the path itself. Near Luxor, totality lasts up to roughly 6 minutes and 22 seconds, among the longest total solar eclipses of the century and the longest anywhere on Earth until 2114. (Source: NASA/Espenak eclipse predictions via the National Solar Observatory and Sky & Telescope.)
🌌 What Is an Eclipse?
At its core, an eclipse is a matter of geometry: it happens when three celestial bodies briefly line up so closely that one blocks light from reaching, or reflecting off, another. Astronomers call this near-perfect straight-line alignment a syzygy — a real term used for any such three-body alignment, not unique to eclipses alone.
A solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes directly between the Sun and Earth, casting a real, physical shadow onto Earth's surface — a narrow, dark inner umbra where the Sun is completely blocked, and a wider, lighter penumbra where it's only partially covered. A lunar eclipse works the other way around: Earth passes between the Sun and the Moon, and Earth's own shadow gives the Moon a deep reddish-copper "blood moon" glow as sunlight bends through our atmosphere.
🔬 Why Eclipses Are Scientifically Important
During the total solar eclipse of May 29, 1919, astronomer Arthur Eddington led an expedition that measured starlight bending near the darkened Sun exactly as Einstein's General Theory of Relativity predicted — a real, historic test only possible during totality, when the Sun's glare doesn't overwhelm the faint starlight passing close to it.
Total solar eclipses also let solar physicists study the Sun's outer atmosphere, the corona, which is normally far too faint to see against the Sun's overwhelming brightness — the Moon acts as a natural occulting disk for the brief minutes of totality.
📊 The Four Types of Eclipses
🌑Total
The Moon completely covers the Sun's disk, revealing the corona to observers inside the path of totality.
💍Annular
The Moon is near apogee and appears too small to fully cover the Sun, leaving the “Ring of Fire.”
🌗Partial
Only the penumbra passes over a location, so the Moon covers just part of the Sun's disk there.
🔄Hybrid
A rare eclipse that shifts between annular and total along its path as Earth's curvature changes the Moon's apparent distance.
💬 Frequently asked questions
When is the next solar eclipse?
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The next solar eclipse anywhere in the world is an annular solar eclipse on February 6, 2027. Its path of annularity crosses southern Chile and Argentina, clips coastal Uruguay and a sliver of Brazil, then crosses the Atlantic to reach Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Nigeria in West Africa. A much wider partial eclipse is visible across the rest of South America, parts of Antarctica, and the western half of Africa.
What's the difference between an annular and a total solar eclipse?
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In a total eclipse, the Moon is close enough to Earth to completely cover the Sun's disk, revealing the corona. In an annular eclipse, the Moon is near apogee (its farthest point from Earth) and appears too small to fully cover the Sun, leaving a bright ring — the "ring of fire" — visible around the Moon's silhouette.
Do I need eclipse glasses for an annular eclipse?
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Yes — for the entire event. Unlike a total eclipse, where it's safe to look directly at the Sun only during the brief minutes of totality, an annular eclipse never fully covers the Sun's disk, so ISO 12312-2 certified eclipse glasses (or a certified solar filter) are required at all times to view any part of it safely.
When is the next total solar eclipse?
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The next total solar eclipse worldwide is on August 2, 2027. Totality sweeps across southern Spain, North Africa — including Egypt, where it passes directly over Luxor — and parts of the Middle East. Near Luxor, totality lasts up to roughly 6 minutes and 22 seconds, among the longest total solar eclipses of the century.