Where to watch the next total solar eclipse anywhere in the world | New Scientist

On 12 August, a total solar eclipse will sweep a narrow path across parts of Europe and the Atlantic and Arctic oceans. Such an eclipse happens somewhere on Earth about once every 18 months as the moon and the sun line up just right so that the moon blocks out the entirety of the sun’s disc, darkening the sky and revealing the outermost layers of the sun that are usually hidden by the glare of its brighter surface. 

For the most part, this August’s total eclipse will only be visible from the ocean and relatively remote areas of land: northern Russia, Greenland, the ocean, and then more inhabited regions as it passes through Iceland and Spain. A broader swathe will see a partial eclipse, but views of the total eclipse’s grandeur will be limited. If you aren’t able to spot this one, though, there will be other chances.

The next total eclipse will be on 2 August 2027. It will be visible in parts of northern Africa, and even though more than half of its path will be over ocean, for eclipse chasers, this will be the big one. That’s because totality – the period when the moon completely covers the sun’s disc, in this case 6 minutes and 23 seconds at its maximum – will last longer than it has for any other eclipse since 2009. A longer one won’t happen until the year 2114.

The length of totality varies because of the geometry of Earth’s orbit around the sun and the moon’s orbit around Earth. Neither of them are perfectly circular, so when the moon is a little bit closer to us or the sun further away, the moon takes longer to pass in front of the sun. If you are going to travel to see one solar eclipse, the one in 2027 is a good choice.

The next total eclipse after that, in July 2028, will be visible in New Zealand and Australia. In November 2030, one will pass through Australia again, as well as southern Africa. The eclipse in 2031 won’t be visible from land at all, and the one in 2033 will only briefly be visible from parts of Alaska and Siberia. In the following few years, two more total eclipses will pass over Australia, making it the best place to look for eclipses this decade.

The next total eclipse to pass over a significant portion of the US will be in 2045. Parts of Asia will have total eclipses in 2034, 2035 and 2042, while South America will experience them in 2045, 2048 and 2059, and Africa will see total eclipses several times between now and 2060. Most of Europe won’t see one until 2081.

When planning for a solar eclipse, there are a few things to take into account, but the most important ones are the duration of totality and the expected weather. On weather, 2027 is a winner once again, thanks to the tendency for there to be relatively little cloud cover over northern Africa. Eclipses in more polar climes tend to be a riskier bet.

But if the clouds cooperate and you are at the right spot in the world, all you have to do is get to a sunny spot and look up – with appropriate eye protection, of course – to see one of the most astonishing shows in the cosmos.