Next solar eclipse: dates, types and where to see them
The next solar eclipse is an annular eclipse on , greatest at . Annular means the Moon is too far away to cover the whole Sun, so a ring of Sun stays visible around it. Greatest eclipse: over the South Atlantic, off southern Brazil (31.3° S, 48.5° W). The next total eclipse is on : see the 2 August 2027 eclipse.
What does your city see?
The next eclipse
At a glance
- Kind
- Annular
- Date
- Next total eclipse
- Solar eclipses 2026–2030
- 12
Next eclipse timeline
Stages of the 2027-02-06 annular eclipse at greatest eclipse
Contact times are shown in your local time zone. For the next eclipse (2027-02-06), greatest eclipse occurs at .
Visibility
Cities seeing the 2027-02-06 eclipse
Local times of maximum coverage and obscuration percentages for major world cities with the Sun above the horizon.
| City or region | Local time of greatest eclipse | How much is covered |
|---|---|---|
| Lima Peru | 2% (partial) | |
| Santiago Chile | 62% (partial) | |
| Buenos Aires Argentina | 82% (partial) | |
| São Paulo Brazil | 78% (partial) | |
| Rio de Janeiro Brazil | 84% (partial) | |
| Brasília Brazil | 58% (partial) | |
| La Paz Bolivia | 18% (partial) | |
| Montevideo Uruguay | 86% (partial) | |
| Casablanca Morocco | 5% (partial) | |
| Lagos Nigeria | 84% (annular) | |
| Accra Ghana | 84% (annular) | |
| Dakar Senegal | 42% (partial) | |
| Kinshasa DR Congo | 52% (partial) | |
| Luanda Angola | 42% (partial) | |
| Johannesburg South Africa | 6% (partial) | |
| Cape Town South Africa | 2% (partial) |
Full calendar
Every solar eclipse from 2026 to 2030
Dates and times appear in your time zone. A total or annular eclipse is greatest at one spot on Earth; a partial eclipse has no such spot, so its row names the area that sees it.
| Date | Type | Greatest eclipse | Where | Longest totality or ring |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annular (already happened) | Over the Southern Ocean, off the coast of Antarctica 64.7° S, 86.7° E | 2 min 16 s | ||
| Total (already happened) | Over the North Atlantic, just west of Iceland 65.2° N, 25.2° W | 2 min 21 s | ||
| Annular | Over the South Atlantic, off southern Brazil 31.3° S, 48.5° W | 7 min 45 s | ||
| Total | In Egypt, east of Luxor 25.5° N, 33.2° E | 6 min 27 s | ||
| Annular | Over northern South America, near the Atlantic coast 3.0° N, 51.5° W | 10 min 20 s | ||
| Total | In northern Australia, in the Kimberley region 15.6° S, 126.7° E | 5 min 15 s | ||
| Partial | Seen from North America | — | ||
| Partial | Seen from the far north: Alaska, northern Canada, Greenland, Scandinavia and northern Russia | — | ||
| Partial | Seen from the southern tip of South America and the Southern Ocean | — | ||
| Partial | Seen from Antarctica and the southern oceans | — | ||
| Annular | In Siberia, Russia 56.5° N, 80.1° E | 5 min 16 s | ||
| Total | Over the southern Indian Ocean 43.6° S, 71.2° E | 3 min 47 s |
Of these 12, 4 are total, 4 annular and 4 partial. The 2 August 2027 total eclipse has its own page: times, path and cities for the 2 August 2027 eclipse.
Interactive calculator
Check your city
Pick a place to see what it gets from each eclipse above: how much of the Sun is covered, the start, maximum and end on the local clock, and how high the Sun stands at maximum.
Orbital geometry
Why solar eclipses only happen at the new Moon
A solar eclipse can only occur when the Moon passes directly between Earth and the Sun, casting its shadow onto Earth’s surface. This alignment happens strictly at the new Moon.
However, an eclipse does not occur at every new Moon because the Moon’s orbit is tilted 5.145 degrees relative to the plane of Earth’s orbit around the Sun (the ecliptic). Most months, the new Moon passes slightly above or below the Sun in the sky.
An eclipse only takes place during an eclipse season—roughly every 173 days—when a new Moon occurs near one of the two points where the Moon’s orbital path crosses the ecliptic, known as lunar nodes.
- Phase required
- New Moon (conjunction)
- Moon orbit tilt
- 5.145° to the ecliptic
- Node-to-node period
- 27.212 days (draconic month)
- Saros cycle
- 18.03 years (6,585.3 days)
- Eclipses per year
- 2 to 5 solar eclipses globally
Three types
Total, annular and partial: what decides the type
The distance between Earth and the Moon varies throughout each 27.5-day anomalistic cycle, from about 356,400 km at perigee to 406,700 km at apogee. This distance difference decides what kind of eclipse occurs.
Total. When the Moon is near perigee, its apparent size equals or exceeds the Sun’s disc. The dark umbral shadow reaches Earth’s surface, turning daylight to dusk along a narrow track and revealing the Sun’s faint outer corona.
Annular. When the Moon is farther out near apogee, its disc appears slightly smaller than the Sun. The Moon cannot cover the entire solar face, leaving a brilliant "ring of fire" (annulus).
Partial. Outside the central path, only the penumbral shadow falls, so observers see the Moon take a crescent bite out of the Sun.
- Total eclipse
- Moon close (near perigee); completely covers Sun
- Annular eclipse
- Moon far (near apogee); ring of sunlight remains
- Partial eclipse
- Observer outside path of totality or antumbra
- Umbral shadow track
- A few hundred km wide across Earth
- Next total eclipse
- 2 August 2027 (southern Spain to Egypt)
Safe viewing
How to watch a solar eclipse safely
Looking directly at the Sun without specialized eye protection can cause permanent retinal damage or eclipse blindness within seconds. Standard sunglasses, polarized glasses, or exposed camera film offer zero protection.
Only certified solar viewers complying with the ISO 12312-2 safety standard are safe for direct viewing. Inspect filters before use and discard any that are scratched, punctured or torn.
The only moment it is safe to look without a filter is during the brief minutes of 100% totality, when the Sun is completely obscured by the Moon. The moment totality ends and the diamond ring appears, filters must go back on.
- Approved standard
- ISO 12312-2 certified solar viewers
- Regular sunglasses
- Unsafe; do not block dangerous infrared or UV
- Direct naked-eye viewing
- Only during 100% totality (never annular/partial)
- Camera & optics
- Must have certified solar filters over front lens
- Indirect projection
- Pinhole card projector onto paper
Questions people ask
Quick answers
What is the next solar eclipse?
The one at the top of this page, with its type and the time of greatest eclipse.
How do I watch a solar eclipse safely?
Only through solar viewers made for eclipses, or a pinhole projector. Look without a filter only while the Sun is completely covered.
What is the difference between total, annular and partial?
In a total eclipse the Moon covers the whole Sun, in an annular one a ring of Sun stays visible, and in a partial one only part of the Sun is covered.
Why isn't there an eclipse every month?
The Moon's orbit is tilted about 5 degrees, so most new Moons pass above or below the Sun.