The 2027 eclipse in Egypt: 6 min 23 s of totality in Luxor, with the Sun almost overhead

In Luxor totality will last 6 min 23 s, from 13:02:05 to 13:08:28 Egyptian time, which that day is one hour ahead of Spain and two hours ahead of UK summer time: it will be 1 pm there and noon in mainland Spain. That is more than a minute and a half longer than the longest totality in Spain, and the central line of the shadow passes very close to the city. Of the 5,786 Egyptian localities we have calculated, 1,211 will have totality.

Luxor and the rest of the Nile Valley

The path crosses Egypt from north-west to south-east, along the Nile Valley between Asyut and Luxor, and reaches the Red Sea level with Marsa Alam. These are the durations from our calculation, in Egyptian time (UTC+3):

Several well-known destinations miss out by a small margin, with a huge partial eclipse but no totality: Aswan reaches 99.9% of the Sun covered, Safaga 99.6% and Hurghada 98.5%. Further north, Cairo stays at 94.7% and Alexandria at 93.3%. At 99.9% there is no corona and no darkness, because a thread of Sun stays uncovered, and the filter never comes off. What you will see at each place is in the best places in Egypt and on the map of Egypt.

The second-longest totality of the century

According to NASA’s path table (Fred Espenak), greatest eclipse comes at 10:06:37 UTC about 60 km east-south-east of Luxor, with the Sun at 81.7°, and the maximum duration, 6 min 23 s, occurs at 10:00:21 UTC in the desert west of Sohag. It is the second-longest totality of the 21st century: only the eclipse of 22 July 2009 lasted longer (6 min 39 s), with its maximum over the Pacific. English Wikipedia also calls it the longest total eclipse of the century on easily accessible land, because in 2009 the longest duration on land was on North Iwo Jima, a remote, uninhabited island. The press has nicknamed it the “eclipse of the century”; we explain why in why is it called the eclipse of the century.

In our calculation, the Egyptian locality with the most totality is in Sohag province and reaches 6 min 25 s, two seconds more than Luxor. Everything about the city is on our Luxor page.

The Sun almost overhead and 41 degrees in the shade

At 1 pm in August, the Sun in Luxor will be almost 82° up, practically overhead. To look at it you have to tip your head right back: a reclining chair or a mat to lie on makes it easier. With the Sun so high, shadows are short, and you almost have to bring your own shade with you.

And it will be hot. NOAA normals (1991-2020) give Luxor an average August maximum of 41.2 °C and an average minimum of 25.6 °C, with 0.1 mm of rain in the whole month. Totality falls in the middle of the day, so water, a cap and a parasol for the wait are part of the plan. There is more advice in the eclipse heat in Egypt.

Papers and travel advice

The travel advice for Egypt from Spain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAEC) (in Spanish), written for Spanish citizens, describes a country with a good general level of security and says:

• You need a passport valid for at least six months from the end of your stay, and a visa as well, which you can get on arrival or online.
• Luxor, Aswan, Cairo and the Red Sea resorts are among the low-risk areas.
• The Western Desert, if you travel independently, and the border areas with Libya and Sudan are medium risk. Bear that in mind if you plan to go to the point of maximum duration, which is in the desert west of the Nile Valley.
• North Sinai and the Rafah border are high risk.
• It strongly recommends medical insurance and avoiding tap water.

If you travel on a British passport, the UK Foreign Office (FCDO) says it must have an expiry date at least 6 months after the date you arrive and at least one blank page, and that you will normally need a visa: an e-visa in advance, which it recommends, or a visa bought on arrival at the airport. Check the advice again before you leave, because it changes. To plan the trip there is how to get to Egypt for the eclipse, and the whole country is on our Egypt page.

Glasses, same as in Spain

The EN ISO 12312-2 filter stays on throughout the partial phase, which in Luxor starts at around 11:40 and ends at around 14:26. Without a filter, only the 6 min 23 s of totality, from the last flash to the first. To check a pair of glasses, see our guide to certified eclipse glasses.

Sources: duration and times for Luxor, the count of localities and the percentages: eclipseando engine (skyfield + DE440s) applied to the census of CAPMAS (Egypt’s statistics agency) and GeoNames; greatest eclipse and maximum duration: Path of the Total Solar Eclipse of 2027 Aug 02 — NASA (F. Espenak); records of the century: Solar eclipse of August 2, 2027 — Wikipedia (2009, 6 min 39 s over the Pacific; North Iwo Jima, uninhabited; the longest on easily accessible land); legal time in Egypt: IANA time zone database (tzdata); Luxor — Wikipedia (NOAA August normals, 1991-2020); Recomendaciones de viaje para Egipto — MAEC (in Spanish: security, risk areas, documents and health); Entry requirements - Egypt travel advice — GOV.UK (passport validity and visas for British citizens).