Total Solar Eclipse over Mecca: 2 August 2027, Times, Path and Safety

The Short Answer

On Monday 2 August 2027 (29 Safar 1449 in the Umm al-Qura calendar) a total solar eclipse crosses Southern Spain, North Africa, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Mecca is inside the path of totality. The Sun is completely covered for about 5 minutes, starting at about 13:24 local time (UTC+3), with the Sun almost overhead.

Jeddah is also inside the path, with about 6 minutes of totality. Medina is not: it sees a deep partial eclipse covering about 94% of the Sun, at about 13:21, and is roughly 185 km from the edge of the path. Riyadh sees about 76%.

Everyone in the path sees the same thing: a few minutes in which the Sun is hidden entirely and the day turns to twilight, at a time that moves from about 08:47 UTC in southern Spain to about 10:45 UTC in Yemen. Everyone else sees a partial eclipse, and a partial eclipse is never safe to look at without a certified solar filter.

Mecca at a Glance

All times are local time in Saudi Arabia (UTC+3). The whole event, from first contact to last, lasts about 2 hours 43 minutes, and for the 1 hour 22 minutes before totality begins the Sun is only partly covered and needs a filter.

You can check your own location, with local times, at the eclipse page for 2 August 2027.

Saudi Arabia, City by City

The nearer a place is to the centre line of the path, the longer totality lasts. The path is about 258 km wide, so towns near its edge, such as Taif, get a shorter totality, while Jeddah, nearer the centre line, gets more. Medina falls outside because the nearest edge of the path is about 185 km away. Durations are our calculation, adjusted to match NASA's published method and rounded to the nearest 10 seconds.

The Path: From Spain to Somalia

The Moon's shadow first touches land in southern Spain, then crosses the Mediterranean coast of North Africa, Egypt, the Red Sea and Saudi Arabia, and leaves over Yemen and Somalia on its way into the Indian Ocean. The greatest eclipse, where totality lasts longest, is in Egypt, near Luxor: 10:06:37 UTC, 6 minutes 22.6 seconds, with a path 257.7 km wide.

Some well-known cities just miss it. Algiers sees 99.8% of the Sun covered, Tunis 97% and Cairo about 95%, all of which is still a partial eclipse. Tripoli is on the very edge of the path, with only about 40 seconds of totality.

What Totality Is Like

During the partial phase the Sun becomes a thinner and thinner crescent, the light turns strange and sharp, and shadows grow crisp. Then, in the last seconds before totality, the final bead of sunlight shrinks and disappears. For the few minutes of totality:

• The Moon covers the Sun completely and the sky darkens to something like deep twilight.
• The Sun's faint outer atmosphere, the corona, becomes visible as a pale halo around the dark disc. It can only be seen when the bright surface is fully hidden.
• The air often cools noticeably and the light changes, and birds and animals may react.

Then a bright spot appears at the edge of the Moon, the "diamond ring", and totality is over.

Watching Safely

This is the part of the article to read twice.

• During the partial phases, always use a filter. That is the 1 hour 22 minutes before totality and the 1 hour 15 minutes after it. Use only certified eclipse glasses marked ISO 12312-2, or a certified solar filter on a camera, binoculars or telescope.
• Only during totality, and only inside the path of totality, is it safe to take the glasses off, and only while the Sun is completely covered. Put them back on the moment the first bright spot of sunlight reappears.
• Outside the path, never remove the filter. Medina's 94% partial eclipse is still a partial eclipse for the whole event, and so is Riyadh's, Cairo's and Yanbu's 99%.
• Ordinary sunglasses, smoked glass, exposed film and CDs are not safe.
• Never look at the Sun through a camera, binoculars or telescope without a proper solar filter on the front, not even for a moment.
• You do not need glasses to watch the shadows: a pinhole, a colander or the gaps between leaves project small crescents on the ground during the partial phase.
• Supervise children, and keep glasses within reach of everyone.
• A summer midday in the Hejaz is hot. Plan for shade, water and an early arrival, and have a second viewing spot in case dust or cloud covers the Sun.

Why the Hijri Date Is 29 Safar

A solar eclipse always happens at new moon, when the Moon is between the Earth and the Sun. The Hijri month begins at about that time, so solar eclipses fall near the end of a month. In the Umm al-Qura calendar, 2 August 2027 is 29 Safar 1449. We will look at why this works so neatly in a separate article.

Using Hilal Vision for This Eclipse

• The eclipse page lists local times for 86 cities, with Mecca and Medina first, and shows a map of the path with your location marked.
• With your location set, the page tells you whether you are in the path and how far from it you are, and gives start, maximum and end times for your location.
• The eclipse simulator is free for this eclipse. It shows the Moon crossing the Sun as seen from your own spot, with a time slider. It is a diagram, not a photograph.
• If you allow notifications and share your location, Hilal Vision can send an alert about an hour before the first visible phase, and only if the eclipse is visible from where you are.

Our figures come from the same calculation engine as the rest of the site. We checked them against NASA's published path: the greatest eclipse position, the width of the path and the centre line agree, and our totality durations run about 3 seconds longer than NASA's, because NASA models the roughness of the Moon's edge. That is why we say "about" throughout.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Mecca in the path of the total solar eclipse of 2 August 2027?

Yes. Mecca is inside the path, with about 5 minutes of totality starting at about 13:24 local time. Jeddah and Taif are inside it too.

Is Medina in the path of totality?

No. Medina sees a partial eclipse, about 94% of the Sun covered, at about 13:21. It is roughly 185 km from the edge of the path. A partial eclipse always needs a solar filter.

How long is totality in Saudi Arabia?

It varies with distance from the centre line: about 5 minutes in Mecca, about 6 minutes in Jeddah and Abha, about 4 minutes in Taif.

What time is the eclipse in Mecca?

Partial phases from about 12:02, totality about 13:24 to 13:29, and the partial phase ends at about 14:45, all in local time (UTC+3).

Can I look at the eclipse without glasses?

Only during totality, and only if you are inside the path and the Sun is completely covered. At every other moment, and everywhere outside the path, use certified eclipse glasses.

Is the eclipse visible from Cairo and Riyadh?

Yes, as a partial eclipse: about 95% in Cairo and about 76% in Riyadh. Neither is in the path of totality.

When is the next total solar eclipse after this one?

Another total eclipse crosses Australia and New Zealand on 22 July 2028. It is not visible from Saudi Arabia.

See Also

• When Will Totality Return to Mecca? The Next Total Eclipses Over the Holy Cities
• Will I See the Lunar Eclipse? Every Lunar Eclipse to 2030, from London to Jakarta
• The Annular Solar Eclipse of 6 February 2027 and the Ramadan 1448 Crescent
• Why Solar and Lunar Eclipses Come in Pairs Two Weeks Apart
• Why a Solar Eclipse Is (Almost) Always on the 29th of the Hijri Month

References

• Espenak, F. (NASA). Total Solar Eclipse of 2027 Aug 02, path tables. https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEpath/SEpath2001/SE2027Aug02Tpath.html
• EclipseWise (Fred Espenak / NASA). Total Solar Eclipse of 2027 Aug 02. https://www.eclipsewise.com/solar/SEprime/2001-2100/SE2027Aug02Tprime.html
• 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.