When is the next solar eclipse? Two major events are coming in 2027

Dubai: The total solar eclipse of 12 August 2026 may be over, but skywatchers will not have to wait long for the next solar spectacle.

The next solar eclipse will take place on 6 February 2027, less than six months from now. It will be an annul solar eclipse, producing the distinctive “ring of fire” effect in parts of South America.

For people in the UAE, however, the date to circle is 2 August 2027. That eclipse will be total across a sweeping path through North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, while residents of the Emirates will see a substantial partial eclipse.

Here is what is coming next.

When is the next solar eclipse?

The next solar eclipse is on 6 February 2027.

It will be an annular eclipse, which occurs when the Moon passes directly between Earth and the Sun but is slightly too far from Earth to cover the Sun completely.

Instead of darkness, observers along the narrow path of annularity will see the Moon surrounded by a brilliant circle of sunlight, the phenomenon commonly known as a “ring of fire”.

The annular phase will be visible from parts of southern Chile and Argentina, while a partial eclipse will be visible across wider areas of South America and western Africa.

The event will not be visible from the UAE.

What is the next solar eclipse visible from the UAE?

That comes on 2 August 2027.

For the UAE, it will be the first solar eclipse visible since the partial eclipse of 25 October 2022.

Dubai Astronomy Group estimates that about 53 per cent of the Sun will be obscured in Dubai, with coverage across the Emirates ranging from roughly 50 to 57 per cent.

That means residents should see a sizeable portion of the Sun disappear behind the Moon during the afternoon, although the UAE will remain outside the path of totality.

The difference of only a few hundred kilometres in the Moon's shadow can transform the experience dramatically: while the UAE sees a partial eclipse, places farther west and south will briefly experience daytime darkness.

Why is the 2 August 2027 eclipse attracting so much attention?

Because elsewhere, it will be one of the most dramatic total solar eclipses of the century.

The path of totality is expected to cross southern Spain and Gibraltar before moving across Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt, then continuing over the Red Sea into Saudi Arabia, Yemen and parts of the Horn of Africa.

At the eclipse's greatest point, totality will last about 6 minutes and 23 seconds, exceptionally long for a total solar eclipse and more than twice the duration of many such events.

The path will also cross some of the world's best-known historic and religious locations. It is expected to pass close to or directly across areas including Luxor in Egypt and parts of Saudi Arabia.

Clear August skies across much of North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula could also make the region particularly favourable for viewing.

For eclipse chasers, that combination, a long period of totality, accessible locations and relatively favourable weather,. is why the 2027 event is already being promoted as one of the defining astronomical spectacles of the century.

Will Saudi Arabia see the total eclipse?

Yes.

Parts of Saudi Arabia will lie inside the path of totality on 2 August 2027, meaning the Moon will completely cover the Sun for several minutes in locations along the eclipse corridor.

Other areas of the kingdom outside that narrow path will experience a partial eclipse.

The contrast with the UAE is significant: although the Emirates is geographically close, it lies outside the totality corridor and will see only part of the Sun covered.

When was the last solar eclipse visible from the UAE?

The most recent was a partial solar eclipse on 25 October 2022.

About 39 per cent of the Sun's disc was covered from the UAE. The event lasted for more than two hours, beginning at about 2.41pm and ending at 4.54pm, with maximum eclipse at around 3.51pm.

Before that came a far rarer event.

On 26 December 2019, parts of the UAE experienced an annular solar eclipse, creating a “ring of fire”. It was the first annular eclipse visible from the country in 172 years, with the previous such event dating to 1847.

Full annularity was visible from parts of Abu Dhabi's Al Dhafra and Liwa region, while other areas of the country experienced a partial eclipse. At maximum, almost 92 per cent of the Sun was obscured.

When will the UAE next see a total solar eclipse?

This requires a much longer wait.

The next total solar eclipse visible from the UAE is expected on 3 September 2081.

That is roughly 55 years away.

Before then, residents will still have opportunities to see partial solar eclipses, including:

Why are total eclipses so rare from one location?

A total solar eclipse occurs only where the darkest part of the Moon's shadow, the umbra, crosses Earth.

That shadow traces a relatively narrow corridor, usually only a few hundred kilometres wide. Move outside it and the eclipse becomes partial; move far enough away and it is not visible at all.

That explains why people in Saudi Arabia and Egypt can experience totality in August 2027 while observers in the UAE see only a partial eclipse.

For any single location on Earth, the wait between total solar eclipses can stretch for centuries.

What comes after 2027?

The eclipse calendar remains busy.

A total solar eclipse on 22 July 2028 will cross Australia and New Zealand, with a partial eclipse visible across parts of Southeast Asia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Australia.

Other notable total eclipses are expected on 25 November 2030, crossing parts of southern Africa and Australia; 20 March 2034, crossing Africa, the Middle East and Asia; and 2 September 2035, visible along a path through parts of China, the Korean Peninsula and Japan.

Australia will be particularly fortunate, with several total eclipses crossing the country between 2028 and 2038.

So, which date should you remember?

For the world, the answer is 6 February 2027, the next solar eclipse, an annular “ring of fire”.

For the UAE, the more important date is 2 August 2027, when roughly half of the Sun will disappear behind the Moon.

And for anyone prepared to travel into the path of totality, that same August eclipse offers something considerably more dramatic: more than six minutes of darkness in the middle of the day, during what is expected to be one of the longest total solar eclipses of the century.

One rule remains essential: during any partial or annular phase, the Sun should never be viewed directly without certified eclipse glasses or another approved solar filter.