Solar eclipses in 2027
Two solar eclipses come in 2027: a ring of fire on 6 February across South America and West Africa, and a total eclipse on 2 August across Spain, North Africa and Egypt. Neither can be seen from the United States. Here is where each one goes, what different cities see, and how to watch an eclipse safely.
Never look at the Sun, eclipse or not. NASA says to use eclipse glasses or a handheld solar viewer that meets the ISO 12312-2 standard, and only during the minutes of totality is it safe to look without them.
The ring of fire (annular eclipse) of 6 February 2027: path map
Annular: a ring of Sun around the Moon. The middle of the eclipse is at 06 Feb 2027 15:59 UTC, near 31.3° S, 48.5° W. The red line is the centre of the Moon's shadow; along it the eclipse is a ring, and for hundreds of miles either side it is partial. No part of the US sees any of it.
What does my city see?
New York, US
New York: not seen from here.
Miami, US
Miami: not seen from here.
Chicago, US
Chicago: not seen from here.
Denver, US
Denver: not seen from here.
Los Angeles, US
Los Angeles: not seen from here.
Anchorage, US
Anchorage: not seen from here.
Honolulu, US
Honolulu: not seen from here.
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan: not seen from here.
The total solar eclipse of 2 August 2027: path map
Total: the Moon covers the whole Sun. The middle of the eclipse is at 02 Aug 2027 10:06 UTC, near 25.5° N, 33.2° E. The red line is the centre of the Moon's shadow; along it the eclipse is total, and for hundreds of miles either side it is partial. No part of the US sees any of it.
What does my city see?
New York, US
New York: not seen from here.
Miami, US
Miami: not seen from here.
Chicago, US
Chicago: not seen from here.
Denver, US
Denver: not seen from here.
Los Angeles, US
Los Angeles: not seen from here.
Anchorage, US
Anchorage: not seen from here.
Honolulu, US
Honolulu: not seen from here.
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan: not seen from here.
Lunar eclipses in 2027
A lunar eclipse is the Moon passing through Earth's shadow. It is safe to watch with bare eyes. All three in 2027 are penumbral: the Moon only slips into the faint outer shadow, and most people won't notice a change.
- 20 February 2027Penumbral: the Moon dims a little, hard to notice. Middle at 20 Feb 2027 23:12 UTC. The Moon is up then in New York, San Juan.
- 18 July 2027Penumbral: the Moon dims a little, hard to notice. Middle at 18 Jul 2027 16:02 UTC. The Moon is below the horizon across the US then.
- 17 August 2027Penumbral: the Moon dims a little, hard to notice. Middle at 17 Aug 2027 07:13 UTC. The Moon is up then in New York, Miami, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Anchorage, Honolulu, San Juan.
One small calendar file with all five eclipses, the same for everyone; it opens in Apple, Google or any calendar app. The Family Sky Calendar has them too.
How to watch a solar eclipse safely
- Never look at the Sun with bare eyes, sunglasses, binoculars, a telescope or a phone camera held to your eye.
- Use eclipse glasses or a handheld solar viewer that meets ISO 12312-2, as NASA says, with a grown-up checking them for scratches.
- Or don't look at the Sun at all: make a pinhole viewer and watch the Sun's picture on paper. It works for any eclipse and any sunny day.
Print a pinhole viewer
Two cards on one page: one with the pinhole, one as the screen. Stand with your back to the Sun, hold the pinhole card up and let its little circle of light fall on the screen card. During an eclipse, the circle has a bite out of it.
A pinhole eclipse viewer
Glue this page to thin card. Cut out both cards. A grown-up pokes the pinhole with a pin, at the cross. Never look at the Sun through the hole.
Hold this card up, your back to the Sun.
Further apart makes it bigger.
Safety: NASA's eclipse guidance, science.nasa.gov/eclipses/safety. Eclipse dates and paths: astronomy-engine.
“In an eclipse the Moon is exactly in the way of the Sun. It's a coincidence: the Sun is 400 times wider, and about 400 times farther away.”