Eclipse-watchers have plenty to look forward to in the next decade.
Over the next ten years, Earth will experience seven total solar eclipses that will see skywatchers in Australia, Egypt, Spain and Sudan peer up at the central shadow of the moon. The first of these eclipses will take place on Aug. 12, 2026, and the final one will be on March 20, 2034, with the maximum durations of totality of each total solar eclipse ranging from 1 minute, 8 seconds to 6 minutes, 23 seconds.
Here are the important details about where, when and how to experience these upcoming total solar eclipses throughout the next decade.
1. Total solar eclipse of 2026
Total solar eclipse of 2026
When: Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026
Where: Russia, Greenland, Iceland and Spain
Maximum duration of totality: 2 minutes, 18 seconds
Europe’s first total solar eclipse for 27 years will coincide with the peak of the annual Perseid meteor shower.
The path of totality will pass over Greenland, western Iceland and northern Spain, and the best way to experience maximum totality will be watching it from a cruise ship on the ocean near Reykjavik, Iceland.
The chances of a clear sky on Aug. 12, 2026 are much higher in northern Spain, but the eclipse will be much lower in the sky, making sight lines slightly more difficult. From the Spanish island of Mallorca, it will even be possible to see a “sunset totality” featuring a golden corona (as long as there are clear skies).
2. Total solar eclipse of 2027
Total solar eclipse of 2027
When: Monday, Aug. 2, 2027
Where: Spain, Gibraltar, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Somalia and British Indian Ocean Territory
Maximum duration of totality: 6 minutes, 23 seconds
The frequency of eclipses depends on something called Saros cycles, repeating patterns of movements in the sun, moon and Earth. These help astronomers predict when and where solar eclipses happen.
Saros 136 is our era’s preeminent family of total solar eclipses. It repeats every 18 years, 11 days and eight hours. The next one is on Aug. 2, 2027, with Luxor, Egypt, destined for a clear view of a total solar eclipse that will provide 6 minutes, 23 seconds of totality. Other options include southern Spain; Gibraltar; Tangier, Morocco; Tunisia’s Kerkennah Islands; and Jeddah and Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
However, all eyes will be on Luxor, where an eclipsed sun will be visible from the Valley of the Kings, Karnak, Luxor Temple, the Colossi of Memnon and the Temple of Hatshepsut. A whopping 89 million people will experience totality in 2027 — far more than witnessed the 2024 total solar eclipse in North America.
3. Total solar eclipse of 2028
Total solar eclipse of 2028
When: Saturday, July 22, 2028
Where: Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, Australia and New Zealand
Maximum duration of totality: 5 minutes, 10 seconds
This solar eclipse — the second of five in 15 years for Australia — will be visible from remote locations such as the Bungle Bungles and Karlu Karlu (Devils Marbles) in Western Australia and the Northern Territory, respectively, as well as Dubbo, the Blue Mountains and Sydney, where observers will get to witness 3 minutes, 48 seconds of totality. The South Island of New Zealand — including Milford Sound, Queenstown and Dunedin — will also experience totality close to sunset.
4. Total solar eclipse of 2030
Total solar eclipse of 2030
When: Monday, Nov. 25, 2030
Where: Namibia, Botswana, South Africa, Lesotho and Australia
Maximum duration of totality: 3 minutes, 44 seconds
This eclipse in 2030 will occur mostly at sea, but it will cross two continents and be visible to almost 11 million people.
Totality will occur shortly after the sun rises on Namibia’s Skeleton Coast before moving across Botswana to Durban on the east coast of South Africa. The moon’s shadow will then trace a path of totality across a remote part of the Indian Ocean before a low-setting eclipsed sunset is seen from South Australia and the outback of New South Wales and Queensland.
This eclipse could be the perfect opportunity to explore Namibia or take part in a remote safari adventure in Botswana.
5. Hybrid total-annular solar eclipse of 2031
Hybrid total-annular solar eclipse of 2031
When: Friday, Nov. 14, 2031
Where: Cruise ship from Hawaii
Maximum duration of totality: 1 minute, 8 seconds
For many people, this remote and short eclipse might not be worth the effort. After all, a brief totality lasting just over one minute will be visible only from inside a narrow path in remote stretches of the North Pacific Ocean, making a cruise ship from Hawaii the most likely way to experience it.
However, this eclipse will be the most dramatic type — a hybrid. A hybrid eclipse, which occurs only seven times in the 21st century, combines an annular (or “ring of fire”) solar eclipse and a total solar eclipse.
The short duration and small shadow are crucial to prepare for, with informed eclipse chasers destined to enjoy an extended display of Baily’s beads and a lingering diamond ring before and after totality. A “ring of fire” will be visible from the coast of Panama for 25 seconds.
6. Total solar eclipse of 2033
Total solar eclipse of 2033
When: Wednesday, March 30, 2033
Where: Russia and the U.S. (Alaska)
Maximum duration of totality: 2 minutes, 37 seconds
This is the next total solar eclipse for North America. Because it occurs close to the spring equinox, it will be also a great opportunity to explore Alaska during peak northern lights viewing season.
An eclipsed sun as low as 8 degrees above the eastern horizon will be seen from locations such as Utqiagvik (Barrow), Sagavanirktok (Prudhoe Bay), Kotzebue and Nome.
7. Total solar eclipse of 2034
Total solar eclipse of 2034
When: Monday, March 20, 2034
Where: Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Sudan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and China
Maximum duration of totality: 4 minutes, 9 seconds
If you want a total solar eclipse to take you off the beaten path, this eclipse will certainly suit you. The path of totality will envelope 109 million people in 13 countries in Central Africa and South Asia. Chief viewing locations will include the Red Sea Coast, in Egypt; the UNESCO World Heritage site of Persepolis, in Iran; and Leh, in the Indian Himalayas.
Additional resources
You can read all about these eclipses in the book “When Is the Next Eclipse? A traveler’s guide to total solar eclipses 2024-2034,” by Jamie Carter, and on his website, WhenIsTheNextEclipse.com. Other useful resources for eclipse chasers include Eclipse Wise, a website dedicated to predictions of eclipses; cartographer Michael Zeiler’s GreatAmericanEclipse.com and Atlas of Solar Eclipses 2020-2045; climate and weather predictions by meteorologist Jay Anderson on Eclipsophile.com; and Xavier Jubier’s Interactive Google Maps.
Leave a Comment