In 2027, astronomers and skywatchers around the world will witness one of the meaningful and unforgettable celestial events, which is the longest solar eclipse in 2027. For over half a dozen minutes, the public will experience blindness, temperature drop, and change in animal behavior. This will definitely be one of the elastic memories for all of us, but it also has significant scientific meaning.
The sun eclipse happens when the Moon passes directly between the sun and the earth. This creates a gigantic shadow, blocking the sun’s light. Even though, sun eclipse is treated as one of the rarest moments in our life, it happens quite often. However, most only last in a brief second at only specific locations. Also, if we look at a particular location, the sun eclipse occurs once in every 375 years.
Nevertheless, the solar eclipse in 2027 will be different. Astronomers expect that the moon will cover up the sun for about 6 minutes and 23 seconds. This is an exceptional amount of time for the solar eclipse to continue, even if we compare nearly 10 decades. The reason that led to this phenomenal event to happen is based on the difference in distances between the sun and moon to the earth.
During this moment, the moon will be closer to the earth, making the moon look slightly larger than in general, and the sun will be farther to the earth, leading to the reduction of the size of the sun on earth. This allows the moon to tent the sun for a longer interval of time. Scientists noted that the maximum amount of time for the moon to enclose the sun is about 7 minutes and 32 seconds, which can determine how long the solar eclipse in 2027 is.
According to NASA, the eclipse will begin over the shore of the Atlantic ocean. Then, it will move to Spain and Morocco. After that, the eclipse will trace to Northern Africa and will end in the Arabian peninsula. For the outside area, only a partial eclipse will be seen.
In 100 years, a similar event happened. Fifty years ago, June 30, 1976 was considered as one of the special days for humanity, as it is considered as one of the longest sun eclipses in modern times. The news headline during that day was covered with sun eclipses. The maximum duration during that time was 7 minutes and 4 seconds, which will be about 27-28 seconds shorter than the one happening in 2027. Even with this record, we can see how much the meaningful event will arise.
The longest solar eclipse in 100 years is more than just an astronomical event—it is a reminder of the extraordinariness of the universe. When the moon turns day into night, it will mark a moment that few alive today will ever see again.
By. Seunghu Chi
Works Cited
Mendoza, Luis. “Longest Solar Eclipse in 100 Years to Darken Skies across Three Continents.” GreekReporter.Com, 8 Dec. 2025, greekreporter.com/2025/12/08/longest-solar-eclipse-darken-skies-three-continents/.
Rao, Joe. “One of the Longest Solar Eclipses on Earth Darkened the Sky 50 Years Ago. Here’s How It Happened.” Space, Space, 30 June 2023, www.space.com/solar-eclipse-1973.
US Department of Commerce, NOAA. “Solar and Lunar Eclipses.” National Weather Service, NOAA’s National Weather Service, 13 Dec. 2022, www.weather.gov/fsd/suneclipse.