![\"MARTIN,](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SEI_258518566-e4e4.jpg\")
\n\t\tA solar eclipse in Ohio last year (Picture: Getty Images North America)<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tA solar eclipse in Ohio last year (Picture: Getty Images North America)<\/p>\n
If there\u2019s one thing that the Earth, Moon and Sun have in common, it\u2019s that they love to get their groove on.<\/p>\n
The three celestial bodies are forever dancing around the cosmos and now and then, they line up perfectly, creating an eclipse<\/a>.<\/p>\n A solar eclipse is when the Moon slides between us and the Sun<\/a>, casting a shadow of wonder as only the wispy, outer edges of the Sun are visible.<\/p>\n Eclipses can remind us all of our place in the lonely, messy cosmos \u2013 after all, they only happen because the\u00a0Moon is 400 times smaller than the Sun, but is 400 times closer to us. An incredible coincidence. <\/p>\n They tend to last 10 seconds or so, but soon, one of the longest and most significant eclipses of the 21st century will happen.<\/p>\n Is there a total solar eclipse on August 2, 2025?<\/p>\n \t\t Skywatchers have been claiming online that the world will be plunged into darkness for six minutes on August 2 this year.<\/p>\n But this isn\u2019t the case,<\/strong> according to astronomical data<\/a>. It seems users have simply got the year of the lengthy eclipse wrong.<\/p>\n The solar eclipse will actually take place on August 2, 2027, in 10 countries.<\/strong><\/p>\n This one will be a total solar eclipse, when the Sun fully disappears behind the Moon<\/a>. The moment this happens is called totality. <\/p>\n A line of totality will then slowly drift across the world, where for a few brief minutes the Moon will fully block out the Sun, and darkness will swallow the light of day.<\/p>\n A halo will glow white behind the Moon, the Sun\u2019s corona<\/a>.<\/p>\n Where can you see the 2027 total solar eclipse?<\/p>\n How long will the solar eclipse 2027 be?<\/p>\n \t\t Six minutes, which in the world of cosmic coincidences is a seriously long time, said Greg Brown, a senior astronomer at the Royal Museums Greenwich, told Metro<\/strong>.<\/p>\n \u2018It varies from only a few seconds at its shortest to a theoretical maximum of 7.5 minutes,\u2019 he said. \u2018This variation is due to the Moon and Sun varying in apparent size, itself due to their slightly changing distance from the Earth during the Moon\u2019s orbit around the Earth and the Earth\u2019s orbit around the Sun.\u2019<\/p>\n But how long stargazers will have to crane their necks will depend on where they live.<\/p>\n The total solar eclipse will only be visible across a thin, 160-mile-long strip of southern Europe and northern Africa where 89 million live, according to Timeanddate.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n The skies will begin to darken above the Atlantic Ocean at 05.19am (UTC), just as the Sun is rising.<\/p>\n While this is where totality begins, it\u2019s not where it will be the longest. As the two cosmic giants do their dance and the Earth spins, totality will only be visible above the Atlantic for three minutes. <\/p>\n \t\t\t\tWhat are the different types of solar eclipses – and how to one \t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t Solar eclipses <\/strong>occur when the Moon gobbles up the Sun, leaving a ring of fire around it. <\/p>\n Partial solar eclipses<\/strong> are when the Moon, Sun and Earth are imperfectly aligned, so only a chunk is obscured. <\/p>\n Earth can also get between the Moon and the Sun, creating a lunar eclipse<\/strong>.<\/p>\n To watch one, please don\u2019t stare directly at the Sun, which can permanently damage your eyes.<\/p>\n Even if the Moon has completely obscured the Sun, the risk is still high. People can look at the celestial event using eclipse glasses. <\/p>\n You can also project the eclipse onto the ground\u00a0using items around the house, such as a cardboard box, a kitchen strainer or even your fingers<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Moon\u2019s 258km-wide shadow will then be cast in the aptly-named Costa de la Luz, or \u2018Coast of the Light\u2019, in Spain\u2019s Andalusia before gobbling up the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar.<\/p>\n It will also envelop Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt, where it will reach its deepest, longest\u00a0duration at 6 minutes and 22 seconds<\/a> from 12.44pm (UTC).<\/p>\n After it leaves Egypt, the total eclipse will last around four to three minutes as the shadow glides through the Red Sea, Saudi Arabia and Yemen.<\/p>\n The eclipse will end with a totally eclipsed sunset near the Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean.<\/p>\n Some nations just to the north or south of the totality line will be able to see a partial solar eclipse, when the Moon takes a smaller bite out of the Sun.<\/p>\n Brown said that the UK sadly won\u2019t catch a glimpse of totality \u2013 the nation is far too north of the line.<\/p>\n \t\t We will have another partial solar eclipse, with around 40% of the Sun covered in the south of England, dropping to around 20% in northern Scotland,\u2019 he added.<\/p>\n \u2018The partial eclipse will begin around 9.20am for us in the UK<\/a>, ending around 10.50am with the maximum occurring around 10am.<\/p>\n The 2027 eclipse will be around 16 seconds shorter than the July 22, 2009, eclipse, Brown said, the longest solar eclipse this century.<\/p>\n \u2018However, while the 2009 eclipse was longer, it occurred almost entirely over the ocean, making it very difficult to observe,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n When is the next solar eclipse in the UK?<\/p>\n \t\t Nasa <\/a>says the next eclipse, a partial one, will happen on September 21<\/strong>, blanketing Australia, Antarctica and the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.<\/p>\n The next total eclipse will be on August 12, 2026<\/strong>. It will only be visible in a sliver of Greenland, Iceland, Spain and Russia, while Europe, Africa and North America will be treated with a partial solar eclipse.<\/p>\n This eclipse, Brown said, is Britain\u2019s \u2018best bet\u2019 for seeing this awe-inspiring sight. <\/p>\n \u2018The whole of the UK will experience at least a 90% eclipse and Cornwall will experience a 96% eclipse,\u2019 he said. \u2018Definitely one to look out for.\u2019<\/p>\n But if you don\u2019t manage to catch it, you\u2019ll have to wait a while, explained Matt Irvine, of the Astronomical Society of Haringey<\/a>, a London stargazing club.<\/p>\n \u2018Next one for us is, I think, 2090,\u2019 he told Metro<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk<\/a>.<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n For more stories like this, <\/strong>check our news page<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n \t\t\tComments Arrow Arrow![\"TOPSHOT](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SEI_258518680-60b7.jpg\")
\n\t\tTotal solar eclipses only happen once every 18 months or so (Picture: AFP)<\/p>\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SE2027Aug02T-d078.gif\")
\n\t\tA simulation of the 2027 eclipse (Picture: A.T. Sinclair\/Nasa)<\/p>\n![\"TOPSHOT](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SEI_258518675-06fc.jpg\")
\n\t\tSolar eclipses have many different stages, and which one you see depends on where you live (Picture: AFP)<\/p>\n![\"BRADY,](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SEI_258518595-728f.jpg\")
\n\t\tEclipses only happen due to the size and distances of the Earth and the Moon (Picture: Getty Images North America)<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SEI_260505682-247e.jpg\")
\n\t\tA view of the Sun from Nasa\u2019s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) shows the Moon passing between the spaceship and the Sun (Picture: SDO\/Nasa\/SWNS)<\/p>\n
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