*And now a look ahead to total solar eclipses over the next decade*
Paul Dorian
In 2027, a total solar eclipse will occur over the Temple of Hatshepsut in Luxor, Egypt. (Image credit: Fadel Dawod/Getty Images, space.com)
Overview
Many who experienced the recent total solar eclipse in the US are wondering where and when will there be other opportunities in coming years and there are others who were “clouded out” on April 8th wondering the same thing. The next total solar eclipse on US soil won’t come for twenty years and the next one in North America will take place in 2033 across portions of Alaska. There are, however, several opportunities to view total solar eclipses between now and 2034, but most will require significant planning and extensive travel.
Image of total solar eclipse (courtesy NASA)
Discussion
The US has been very fortunate to have experienced two total solar eclipses during the past seven years both of which had extensive totality paths stretching across large parts of the nation. The first of these took place in August 2017 and this total solar eclipse was the first coast-to-coast event on US soil since 1918. The 2017 eclipse featured a totality path that extended all the way from Oregon-to-South Carolina. The most recent total solar eclipse on US soil took place on April 8th with its totality path extending in a northeast fashion all the way from Texas-to-Maine. The next total solar eclipse on US soil will not take place until August 2044 and totality for that eclipse will be visible in only a limited section of the country to include portions of the Dakotas and Montana.
Although total solar eclipses occur in the same locations only every 375 years or so, they are not all that rare. In fact, they happen on Earth about once every 18 months or so according to space.com. During the next ten years, there will be seven total solar eclipses across the globe in such diverse countries as Australia, Egypt, Spain, South Africa, China, and Sudan. The first of these will be on August 12th, 2026 and the last will take place on March 20th, 2034. Here is some general information about these upcoming total solar eclipses around the world (credit space.com).
Map of the totality path for the August 2026 solar eclipse as adapted by NationalEclipse.com from the original at “eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov”. Map copyright Google, INEGI, Orion-ME. Eclipse predictions courtesy Fred Espenak, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center.
1) August 12th, 2026
The first total solar eclipse in Europe since 1999 will take place on August 12th, 2026 and this one will coincide with the annual Perseid meteor shower that occurs every year between mid-July and late August. The path of totality will pass over Greenland, western Iceland, and northern Spain. It is not necessarily an easy decision as to where the best viewing conditions may be for this particular celestial event. The chances of clear skies are much higher in northern Spain; however, the eclipse will be much lower in the sky. In other words, with “sunset totality” in Spain, the sight lines for viewing will be crucial as a clear view of the horizon will be required. The maximum duration of totality during this solar eclipse will be 2 minutes and 18 seconds.
Map of the totality path for the August 2027 solar eclipse as adapted by NationalEclipse.com from the original at “eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov”. Map copyright Google, INEGI, Orion-ME. Eclipse predictions courtesy Fred Espenak, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center.
2) August 2nd, 2027
The next total solar eclipse will take place on August 2nd, 2027 and this one will encompass a long lists of countries including Spain, Gibraltar, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Somalia. As such, a whopping 89 million will experience the totality in 2027 which is far more than experienced the April 2024 event in North America. Perhaps one of the most intriguing places in the totality path for this solar eclipse will be Luxor, Egypt in the land of the Valley of the Kings, Karnak, Luxor Temple and the Temple of Hatshepsut. The time of 100% totality during this eclipse in Egypt will be a lengthy 6 minutes and 23 seconds which is about twice as long as was experienced in the US during the April 2024 event.
In 2028, a total solar eclipse will occur over Sydney Harbor in Australia. (Image credit: Bob Henry/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
3) July 22nd, 2028
This solar eclipse will be visible in portions of Australia (including Sydney) and New Zealand and other remote areas such as the Christmas and the Cocos Islands. According to space.com, this eclipse will actually be the second of five such events in Australia during a 15-year stretch that extends out to 2038. Observers will be able to witness more than three minutes of totality, and in the South Island of New Zealand, this will be close to sunset.
In 2030, a total solar eclipse will occur over Spitzkoppe, Namibia. (Image credit: Henrik Karlsson via Getty Images)
4) November 25, 2030
This solar eclipse in November of 2030 will take place mostly at sea; however, it will cross almost 11 million people on two continents including portions of Namibia, Botswana, South Africa, Lesotho, and Australia. In this event, maximum duration of totality will be 3 minutes and 44 seconds and will take place shortly after sunrise from the Skeleton coast of Namibia to the east coast of South Africa. The path of totality will then stretch across a remote path of the Indian Ocean before a low-setting eclipsed sunset is visible in South Australia.
The diamond ring and Baily’s beads portion of a total eclipse. (Image credit: Ben Cooper and Don Hladiuk)
5) November 14, 2031
This total solar eclipse will feature only a very brief totality (about one minute) and will be visible only from inside a narrow path in the northern Pacific Ocean perhaps making a cruise ship from Hawaii the best way to experience it. While this event will be short-lived and in a remote area, it will be a hybrid eclipse which occurs only 7 times in the 21st century. A hybrid eclipse combines an annular (or “ring of fire”) solar eclipse and a total solar eclipse. The short duration and small shadow are crucial, 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.
An aerial view of Nome, Alaska, in July 2006 (courtesy Wikipedia)
6) March 30th, 2033
The March 2033 total solar eclipse is the next one for the continent of North America and will be visible in portions of Alaska (and also a small section of Russia). Because this eclipse takes places near the equinox, it will be a great opportunity to look for the northern lights in Alaska in addition to hoping for clear skies to view the total solar eclipse which will feature a maximum duration time of 2 minutes and 37 seconds. This eclipse will be low in the sky above the eastern horizon and visible in such places as Barrow, Prudhoe Bay, and Nome.
Leh, India as seen from Shanti Stupa. Namgyal Tsemo Monastery and Leh Palace can be seen on the ridge line. (Courtesy Wikipedia)
7) March 20, 2034
This 2034 total solar eclipse will be visible in numerous countries including Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Sudan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and China and will have a maximum duration of totality of more than 4 minutes. The extended path of this total solar eclipse will envelope more than 100 million people in those many countries all the way from central Africa to South Asia.
Map of total and annular solar eclipses between 2021 and 2030 (Courtesy greatamericaneclipse.com)
Bottom line...
There are lots of choices during the next ten years if you’ve caught the bug to see another total solar eclipse (or the desire to see one for the first time), but any of these options will certainly require considerably more planning and travel than the two recent events we were fortunate to have on US soil.
Meteorologist Paul Dorian
Arcfield
arcfieldweather.com