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Total solar eclipse 2027 vs 2028 — Which one should you choose, Egypt or Australia?
From six minutes of darkness in Egypt or totality over the Australian Outback, here are the pros and cons of the next two total solar eclipses.
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For those who want to experience a total solar eclipse, the next two years present the best kind of problem. On Aug. 2, 2027, the so-called "eclipse of the century" will sweep across southern Spain, North Africa and the Middle East, bringing more than six minutes of totality to parts of Egypt. Then, on July 22, 2028, another exceptionally long total solar eclipse will cross Australia, putting the remote Outback and Sydney Harbor in the path of the moon's dark central shadow before it reaches New Zealand's beautiful South Island.
Both eclipses will be spectacular, and both will require careful planning, yet they promise very different experiences. The 2027 event combines over six minutes of totality with some of the very best weather prospects possible, while 2028 offers over five minutes of totality above some of the world's most famous wildernesses and cityscapes.
Eclipse chasing requires careful planning and dedication, but also significant funds. If you can only choose one, which should it be?
On paper, 2027 is difficult to beat. Maximum totality on Aug. 2 will last about 6 minutes, 23 seconds, making it the longest totality on land since 1991 and until 2114. The path of totality will cross southern Spain and Gibraltar before sweeping across Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Somalia and the Chagos Islands. About 88.9 million people live in its path, according to Time and Date. It will dominate the news for weeks.
For Europeans, southern Spain is the obvious easy option. Tarifa, at the country's southern tip, will see about 4 minutes, 39 seconds of totality, while the U.K. Overseas Territory of Gibraltar gets about 4 minutes, 25 seconds. Travel farther east and the duration increases, with Sfax in Tunisia getting around 5 minutes, 41 seconds and locations in Egypt experiencing more than six minutes. Weather prospects generally improve, too, as the path crosses the deserts of North Africa.
Egypt is the headline destination. Luxor will see about 6 minutes, 20 seconds of totality near midday, with Karnak Temple, the Valley of the Kings, and some of the world's greatest ancient monuments nearby. The climatic odds are excellent, with clouds extremely rare in early August. That combination of a very long totality, ancient landscapes and a very high probability of a clear sky makes 2027's path of totality highly unusual.
But there are downsides. Temperatures around Luxor can exceed 105°F (41°C) in August, a dust storm is not impossible, and totality occurs shortly after 1 p.m. when the sun (and moon) will be high overhead — making photography very difficult. Demand is already intense, making organized trips expensive. Spain will be considerably easier and probably cheaper for European eclipse chasers, but at the expense of roughly two minutes of totality — and slightly less favorable weather prospects.
If 2027 is about extreme duration, 2028 is about choice. On July 22, 2028, a path of totality will cross the Cocos Islands, Christmas Island, Australia, from northwest to southeast — passing directly over Sydney — before continuing across the Tasman Sea to New Zealand's South Island. That's about 6.3 million people, according to Time and Date. This will be an exclusive eclipse experienced by relatively few people, certainly when compared to the eclipses in 2024, 2026 and 2027.