Sky & Telescope - January 2025 - 30

Eclipse Preview
ing into southeastern Argentina and along the Atlantic coast
of Uruguay, the path of annularity passes southeast of the
Uruguayan capital, Montevideo, where at maximum (12:36
p.m. local time) the Sun resembles a horseshoe with pointed
tips. Greatest eclipse occurs at 16:00 UT over the South
Atlantic Ocean, 285 km southeast of Porto Alegre, Brazil,
with the ring phase lasting a generous 7m 50s. After a 78-minute
jaunt across the Atlantic Ocean, annularity reaches the
African coast, sweeping rapidly through southern sections of
Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin, and southwestern Nigeria,
where observers in Lagos can watch the Sun set as a fiery ring.
August 2, 2027 This highly anticipated eclipse is a member of
the same saros cycle (S&T: Jan. 2024, p. 60) that has produced
some of the longest totalities in recent history. Saros
136's lineage dates back to 1360 and more recently includes
the eclipses of 1937, 1955, and 1973 - each boasting totality
exceeding seven minutes! The July 11, 1991, eclipse, which
passed across Hawai'i and Mexico and is often referred to
as The Big One, is also a member of this exclusive group.
The August 2, 2027, eclipse maxes out at 6m 23s, providing
the longest totality until the year 2114. And if that weren't
enticing enough, the path crosses some popular destinations.
(Eclipse tours are already taking bookings.)
Beginning in the Atlantic, roughly 3,700 km westsouthwest
of Tangier, Morocco, the Moon's umbral shadow
takes only about 20 minutes to reach the Strait of Gibraltar,
where totality lasts a healthy 4m 45s, with the Sun nearly
August 12, 2026
40° high in the eastern sky. Proceeding east-southeast, the
path of totality cuts across swaths of Algeria, Tunisia, Libya,
and Egypt, while also skirting the southern Mediterranean.
Greatest duration occurs not far southeast of Luxor, in Egypt,
where totality begins at 1:03 p.m. local daylight time with the
Sun 82° high. After crossing the Red Sea, the umbral shadow
skirts southern Saudi Arabia, briefly touches Yemen, slices
across the Gulf of Aden, and clips northernmost Somalia
before departing our planet over the Indian Ocean.
January 26, 2028 An exceptionally long-lasting annular
eclipse crosses the Galápagos Islands as well as parts of Peru,
Ecuador, Brazil, Colombia, Suriname, and French Guiana.
The largest South American city to witness the " ring of fire "
is Manaus, the capital of the Brazilian state of Amazonas.
There, starting at 10:24 a.m. local time, annularity lasts 7m
11s. Near Brazil's northeastern coast, greatest eclipse occurs
at 15:08 UT, lasting 10m 27s. After leaving South America, the
eclipse path heads northeast for a 105-minute trek across the
Atlantic Ocean, making landfall over regions that also experienced
totality in August 2026 and August 2027. The event is
visible from Seville (duration 7m 15s), Gibraltar (4m 00s), and
Valencia (7m 02s).
July 22, 2028 For the first 78 minutes, the path of this total
eclipse falls over the open waters of the Indian Ocean. When
it comes ashore in the Kimberley region of Western Australia,
the duration of totality is approaching its maximum.
August 2, 2027
30 JANUARY 2025 * SKY & TELESCOPE
S
u
o
N
ehtro
e
h
t
nr
mi l
p
s
hta
P
r
e
p
s
e
of
ti
l
e
c l i
f o
i l
c
n
l i
part i a
to T
m
ti
i a l
e
e
Eclip e
la
of
a
r t
s
s
p
i p
i p s e
o N
f
o u thern lim
t r
o
S
eh
t
h
nr
P
a
i l
ti
m
o
f
p
ALL ECLIPSE GLOBES: SKY & TELESCOPE, SOURCE: FRED ESPENAK
a
r
ait
l
e
ilc
p
s
e
T o
it of p a r t
t a l
i
E
a
c
l
l
e c l
Sky & Telescope - January 2025

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Sky & Telescope - January 2025
