Why 2027 total solar eclipse is ‘eclipse of the century’ even though 2009’s lasted longer

The Aug. 2, 2027 total solar eclipse is being hailed as the “eclipse of the century,” but it is not the longest of the 21st century, according to Space.com contributor Jamie Carter.

Maximum totality just southeast of Luxor, Egypt, will fall 16 seconds short of the 6 minutes, 39 seconds recorded July 22, 2009. That makes 2027 the second-longest total solar eclipse of the century. Its path will sweep across parts of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, with as much as 6 minutes, 23 seconds of totality.

Why 2027 still stands out

The maximum duration of the 2027 eclipse is only 4% shorter than 2009’s, but it falls over land and beneath some of the most reliably clear skies on Earth. Carter described it as the longest eclipse of the century on land.

In 2009, the longest totality occurred over the Pacific Ocean. Three cruise ships, Costa Classica, Fuji Maru and Asuka II, positioned themselves near Iwo Jima, about 750 miles (1,200 kilometers) south of Tokyo. Costa Classica reached the centerline closest to the point of greatest duration.

Most eclipse chasers settled for land, many heading to eastern China near Shanghai, where totality approached six minutes. Thick cloud and rain spoiled the view for many. Just four people on the Eclipse Chaser Log claim to have been close to the point of greatest eclipse in 2009.

Luxor offers the opposite: more than six minutes of totality, easy travel and the temples of ancient Thebes, Karnak and Luxor, along with the Valley of the Kings necropolis, all within the path. Time and Date puts average cloud cover for Aug. 2 at 0%.

The 2027 eclipse will also bring the longest maximum totality on Earth since 2009 and the longest until June 3, 2114, when totality will last 6 minutes, 32 seconds over Saudi Arabia. Carter argues far more people than in 2009 will experience the greatest duration.

The Saros 136 family

Both eclipses belong to the same family, Saros 136. A Saros lasts about 18 years, 11 days and eight hours, after which the sun, moon and Earth return to nearly the same geometry. The extra eight hours rotate Earth about a third of a turn, so each successive eclipse falls about 120 degrees farther west.

Saros 136 began with a tiny partial eclipse in 1360, produced its first total eclipse in 1721 and peaked in 1955 at 7 minutes, 7 seconds. Another member, on July 11, 1991, crossed Hawaii, Mexico, Central America and northern South America with 6 minutes, 53 seconds of totality. The family is now winding down.

What comes next

The next member arrives Aug. 12, 2045, crossing the U.S., the Caribbean and northern South America with about 6 minutes, 6 seconds of totality. Cities in the path include Reno, Salt Lake City, Colorado Springs, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Tampa, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale and Miami.

Later members arrive Aug. 24, 2063, across Asia and the Pacific; Sept. 3, 2081, across Europe and the Middle East; and Sept. 14, 2099, across North America. Each will be shorter than the last. Saros 139, the family behind the April 8, 2024 eclipse over North America, will take over on June 3, 2114.