Eclipses in 2027: Dates, Where to See Them and How to Watch Safely

The total solar eclipse of 12 August 2026 has now passed, and 2027 has a full set of eclipses to plan for. One of them is a long total solar eclipse that crosses southern Spain and North Africa. This guide lists every solar and lunar eclipse NASA expects in 2027, explains what each type means, and covers how to watch safely.

The 2027 eclipse list

These dates come from NASA’s Future Eclipses page, which gives each eclipse’s local date where it happens. We checked them against timeanddate.com’s worldwide eclipse list.

• 6 February 2027: annular solar eclipse. NASA says the annular (“ring of fire”) phase will be visible in parts of South America and Africa, including Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria. A partial eclipse will be seen across large areas of South America, Africa, Antarctica, and the South Pacific and South Atlantic oceans.
• 20–21 February 2027: penumbral lunar eclipse. Visible from the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia and Antarctica, according to NASA.
• 2 August 2027: total solar eclipse. NASA says totality will be visible in southern Spain, North Africa (including Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt), Saudi Arabia and Yemen. A partial eclipse will be seen from most of Europe, much of Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, eastern Canada and northern Maine.
• 16–17 August 2027: penumbral lunar eclipse. NASA lists visibility from the Americas, Antarctica, West Africa, New Zealand, parts of Western Europe, Australia, eastern Russia, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.

timeanddate.com also lists a “Lunar Eclipse (Almost)” on 18–19 July 2027. That is a near miss, where the Moon only just skims Earth’s outer shadow. NASA’s list does not include it, so don’t expect to notice anything.

What the eclipse types mean

• Total solar eclipse: the Moon completely covers the Sun’s bright face. For a few minutes the sky darkens and the Sun’s pearly outer atmosphere, the corona, comes into view. You only see totality from inside a narrow path. Outside it, you see a partial eclipse.
• Annular solar eclipse: the Moon is slightly farther from Earth, so it looks a little too small to cover the Sun. A bright ring of sunlight stays visible around it.
• Partial solar eclipse: the Moon covers only part of the Sun. A “bite” seems to be taken out of it.
• Penumbral lunar eclipse: the Moon passes through only the outer, faint part of Earth’s shadow. The darkening is subtle, and many casual observers don’t notice it at all. Look for a slight greyish shading on one side of the Moon near mid-eclipse.

Eye safety: the rules that matter

Lunar eclipses are completely safe to watch with your eyes, binoculars or a telescope. Solar eclipses are not. NASA’s eclipse safety guidance is clear:

• Except during the brief total phase of a total solar eclipse, it is not safe to look directly at the Sun without specialised eye protection.
• Use eclipse glasses or a handheld solar viewer that meets the ISO 12312-2 international standard. Ordinary sunglasses, however dark, are not safe.
• Inspect your viewer before use, and throw it away if it is scratched, torn or damaged. Supervise children.
• Never look through a camera, binoculars or a telescope while wearing eclipse glasses. Concentrated sunlight will burn through the glasses and cause serious eye injury. Optics need their own purpose-made solar filter fitted over the front.
• During a total eclipse, you can take your glasses off only once the Sun’s bright face is completely covered. Put them back on as soon as any bright sunlight reappears.

No glasses? Project the Sun

NASA recommends a pinhole projector as a simple indirect method. Punch a small hole in an index card. Stand with the Sun behind you and let the light fall through the hole onto a sheet of paper. You’ll see a small image of the eclipsed Sun. A kitchen colander works too: each hole projects its own little crescent during the partial phases. Never look at the Sun through the pinhole itself.

Watching a penumbral lunar eclipse

The two lunar eclipses in 2027 are both penumbral, so set your expectations. The Moon won’t turn red the way it does in a total lunar eclipse. Watch around the time of greatest eclipse (check timeanddate.com for your city) and compare the Moon’s edges. With binoculars or a photo taken every few minutes, you may see one side looking slightly dusky. No special equipment or eye protection is needed. If you’re new to observing, our Stargazing for Beginners guide covers the basics.

Planning for 2 August 2027

If you want to see totality, you need to travel to the path, and the region is popular. Book transport and accommodation early, and check local weather history for the date. Pack certified eclipse glasses for the partial phases. If you plan to use binoculars or a telescope, fit a proper solar filter to the front. Our guide to telescope filters explains the difference between solar filters and ordinary colour filters.

Sources

• https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/future-eclipses/
• https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/list.html
• https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/safety/

Photo: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Aaron Lucas, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; B137, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons; H. Raab (User:Vesta), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons