The Short Answer
On Saturday 6 February 2027 the Moon passes in front of the Sun in an annular solar eclipse, the kind that leaves a bright ring of sunlight around the Moon's dark disc. It falls two days before the first day of Ramadan 1448, which is expected on Monday 8 February.
Most readers will not see it. Of the 86 major cities in the Hilal Vision eclipse tables, only 9 have the Sun above the horizon at the moment of greatest eclipse, all of them in South America and West Africa; five more see the start of a partial eclipse just before sunset. Mecca, Medina, Riyadh, Cairo, Karachi, Jakarta and London see nothing at all, because the Moon's shadow does not reach them (and where it does reach, the Sun has already set).
The eclipse also has no effect on whether the Ramadan crescent can be seen, but it does pin down the exact moment of the new moon, which makes it a useful marker for understanding the crescent forecast.
The Eclipse in Numbers
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Date | Saturday 6 February 2027 |
| Greatest eclipse | 15:59:36 UTC |
| Position of greatest eclipse | 31°18′ S, 48°28′ W, in the Atlantic off southern Brazil |
| Longest annular phase | 7 minutes 51 seconds |
| Width of the annular path | about 282 km at greatest eclipse |
| Moon's size compared with the Sun | 0.928, so the Moon is smaller and leaves a ring |
| Part of the Sun's disc covered at greatest eclipse | about 86% |
| New moon (conjunction) | 15:56 UTC |
The path begins in the South Pacific, crosses southern Chile and Argentina, runs across the South Atlantic, and ends at sunset over the Gulf of Guinea, close to Lagos. Figures are from Fred Espenak's NASA eclipse tables and agree with the calculations used on this site.
An annular eclipse happens when the Moon is near its far point from Earth, so it looks slightly too small to cover the Sun completely. That is why the ring remains. It is a different event from a total eclipse, and unlike a total eclipse it is never safe to look at without a solar filter.
Who Can See It
Only a thin slice of the world gets any view of this eclipse. These are the main cities in our tables that do:
| City | What it sees | Time of maximum (UTC) | Sun's height at maximum |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buenos Aires | partial, 82% | 15:31 | 69° |
| Santiago | partial, 62% | 15:04 | 59° |
| Brasília | partial, 58% | 16:38 | 72° |
| Dakar | partial, 42% | 17:58 | 16° |
| Lagos | annular phase, 84%, about 5.5 minutes | 17:52 | about 1° |
| Accra | annular phase, 84%, about 5.5 minutes | 17:52 | about 4° |
For Lagos and Accra the annular phase lasts about five and a half minutes, but the Sun is almost on the horizon, so a clear, flat western horizon decides whether the ring can be seen at all. Further north in West Africa the partial eclipse shrinks and the Sun is lower: Casablanca sees only about 5% of the Sun covered, with the Sun on the horizon.
To see what you would get from your own location, open the eclipse page for 6 February 2027, which shows your local circumstances, the full city table and a map of the path.
Why It Is Not Visible from Mecca
The eclipse reaches its greatest point at 15:59 UTC. In Mecca the Sun has already set at about 15:13 UTC, which is 18:13 local time. The Sun is below the horizon, so nothing of the eclipse can be seen from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Pakistan or the rest of the region.
The same timing explains something about the crescent.
What the Eclipse Tells Us About the Crescent
A solar eclipse can only occur at the moment of new moon, when the Moon lies between the Earth and the Sun. So the eclipse tells us exactly when the new moon happens: 15:56 UTC on 6 February 2027.
Compare that with sunset:
- In Mecca sunset is at about 15:13 UTC. The new moon comes 43 minutes after sunset. At sunset the Moon has not yet reached conjunction, so no crescent exists.
- In West Africa (Dakar) sunset is at about 19:10 UTC, only about 3 hours after the new moon. A Moon that young cannot be seen. This is below the Danjon limit and far below any visibility threshold.
- In the Americas the Moon is about 6 to 10 hours old at sunset (New York 6.4, Buenos Aires 7.0, Los Angeles 9.5). Still too young to see.
Further west in the Pacific it is at most about 14 hours old.
On the Hilal Vision map the evening of 6 February is therefore the same everywhere: no visible crescent. Scanning the whole world with the Yallop criterion, the best result anywhere is Zone E (not visible, even with a telescope), which covers roughly half the world, including West Africa and the Americas; everywhere else the Moon has not yet reached conjunction at sunset or has already set (Zone F). For the cities readers ask about:
| City | Moon's age at sunset | Result on 6 February |
|---|---|---|
| Mecca | before the new moon (-0.7 hours) | Below horizon (Zone F) |
| Cairo | before the new moon (-0.3 hours) | Below horizon (Zone F) |
| Karachi | before the new moon (-2.6 hours) | Below horizon (Zone F) |
| London | 1.0 hour | Below horizon (Zone F) |
| Dakar | 3.2 hours | Not visible (Zone E) |
| New York | 6.4 hours | Not visible (Zone E) |
This matters for the date of Ramadan. Under the Umm al-Qura calendar, 29 Shaban 1448 is Saturday 6 February 2027, and that evening no crescent can be seen anywhere. The month therefore completes 30 days: Shaban 30 is Sunday 7 February, and 1 Ramadan 1448 is Monday 8 February. This is the same conclusion reached in our Ramadan 2027 forecast, and it holds for any community that began Shaban on the same day as Umm al-Qura.
Some communities, especially those that apply stricter local sighting rules, began Shaban a day later. For them the 29th is Sunday 7 February, and the crescent search takes place on that evening. The Moon is then roughly 20 to 30 hours old, and the Yallop result varies a great deal from place to place:
| City | Moon's age at sunset | Result on 7 February |
|---|---|---|
| Casablanca | 26 hours | Visible in clear skies (Zone B) |
| Dakar | 27 hours | Visible in clear skies (Zone B) |
| Mecca | 23 hours | Optical aid helpful (Zone C) |
| Cairo | 24 hours | Optical aid helpful (Zone C) |
| London | 25 hours | Optical aid helpful (Zone C) |
| Karachi | 21 hours | Telescope only (Zone D) |
| Jakarta | 19 hours | Not visible (Zone E) |
| New York | 30 hours | Easily visible (Zone A) |
Those differences between cities are exactly why Muslims in different countries can start Ramadan on different days. See why Muslims start Ramadan on different days and the explanation of global versus local sighting.
These are forecasts from a model. Real sighting depends on weather, haze and observer skill, and religious authorities make the final announcement. Our zones tell you the geometry, not the verdict.
Why the Eclipse and the Crescent Search Are Linked
Every solar eclipse is a new moon, and the crescent hunt is also about the new moon. The two are different questions about the same moment:
- The eclipse asks whether the Moon passes exactly in front of the Sun, which depends on whether the new moon happens close to the Moon's orbital node.
- The crescent asks how long after the new moon the thin Moon can first be seen, which depends on its age, its height and its distance from the Sun at sunset.
An eclipse therefore falls on the day when no crescent is visible, the end of the old month, the "29th" that so often decides which day a month begins. That is a theme we will come back to in a separate article.
A Second Eclipse in Ramadan
On the night of 20 to 21 February 2027 there is a penumbral lunar eclipse, with the greatest point at 23:12 UTC. In Mecca that is 02:12 on 21 February, with the Moon about 63° above the horizon, so it is fully visible from Mecca, Cairo, Karachi and London, partly visible from New York, and not visible from Jakarta.
A penumbral eclipse is very subtle. The Moon passes through the pale outer part of the Earth's shadow, and most people see only a slight dimming on one side, if anything. It is worth knowing about, but do not expect the deep red of a total lunar eclipse. Details are on the eclipse page for 20 February 2027.
Eye Safety If You Are in the Path
If you live in or travel to a region that sees the 6 February eclipse:
- Use only certified eclipse glasses (marked ISO 12312-2) or a proper solar filter on every camera, telescope and pair of binoculars.
- An annular eclipse is never safe to look at without protection, because the ring is the bright surface of the Sun. The Sun does not become dark at any moment.
- Ordinary sunglasses, smoked glass and film negatives are not safe.
- Let children watch only with supervision and proper glasses.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the 6 February 2027 eclipse be seen from Saudi Arabia?
No. At the time of greatest eclipse the Sun has already set in Saudi Arabia. The eclipse is visible only from parts of South America and West Africa.
Does the eclipse change the start of Ramadan?
No. An eclipse does not affect the calendar. What matters is when the new moon occurs and whether the new crescent can be seen or calculated. The eclipse only confirms that the new moon is at 15:56 UTC on 6 February.
Which day is Ramadan 2027 expected to start?
Monday 8 February 2027 in Saudi Arabia and most of the world. Communities that began Shaban a day later, or that rely on local sighting, may start on Tuesday 9 February. See when does Ramadan 2027 start.
Is it a total or annular eclipse?
Annular. The Moon is too far from Earth to cover the Sun completely, so a bright ring remains at the maximum. It is a different event from the total eclipse of 2 August 2027, which crosses Egypt and Saudi Arabia. See the total eclipse of 2 August 2027.
How long does the annular phase last?
Up to 7 minutes 51 seconds at the point of greatest eclipse in the Atlantic. At Lagos and Accra, near the end of the path, it is about 5.5 minutes, but with the Sun only 1° to 4° above the horizon.
See Also
References
- Espenak, F. (NASA). Annular Solar Eclipse of 2027 Feb 06, path tables. https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEpath/SEpath2001/SE2027Feb06Apath.html
- EclipseWise (Fred Espenak / NASA). Annular Solar Eclipse of 2027 Feb 06. https://www.eclipsewise.com/solar/SEprime/2001-2100/SE2027Feb06Aprime.html
- Yallop, B. D. (1997). A Method for Predicting the First Sighting of the New Crescent Moon. NAO Technical Note No. 69, HM Nautical Almanac Office.
- Umm al-Qura calendar dates as computed by the Hilal Vision calendar engine.
Clear skies, and see the live eclipse page for your own location.