Total solar eclipse of 2 August 2027 in Egypt: Luxor and the Nile valley
Around midday on Monday 2 August 2027 the Moon’s shadow crosses Upper Egypt, giving the longest totality of the whole eclipse near Luxor. Here are the times of totality for each town on the path, why Aswan and Hurghada just miss it, and how much of the Sun is covered in Cairo, Alexandria and the rest of Egypt.
The short answer
- When: around midday on Monday 2 August 2027. In the towns listed below, totality falls between 12:56 and 13:10 (EEST, UTC+3).
- Where it is total: a band about 260 km wide across Upper Egypt, along the Nile from Minya and Asyut to Luxor, Edfu and Kom Ombo.
- How long: the longest totality of the whole eclipse. NASA gives 6 minutes 23 seconds near Luxor; our calculation gives about 6 min 20 s in Luxor, about 6 min 20 s in Sohag and about 6 min 10 s in Asyut.
- The Sun: almost overhead, about 82° high in Luxor.
- Just outside: Aswan (99.8% of the Sun covered) and Hurghada (98.5%) see a partial eclipse only; so do Cairo (94.6%) and Alexandria (93.3%).
Totality, town by town
Local times (EEST, UTC+3) for the towns on the path with more than 15,000 people that we list, from north to south along the Nile.
| Town | Partial eclipse begins | Totality | Length | Sun’s height | Partial eclipse ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minya | 11:34 | 12:56–13:00 | about 4 min 10 s | 80° | 14:19 |
| Mallawi | 11:34 | 12:56–13:01 | about 5 min 20 s | 80° | 14:20 |
| Asyut | 11:35 | 12:57–13:03 | about 6 min 10 s | 81° | 14:21 |
| Abu Tig | 11:36 | 12:57–13:03 | about 6 min 10 s | 81° | 14:22 |
| Tahta | 11:37 | 12:58–13:04 | about 6 min 20 s | 81° | 14:23 |
| Akhmim | 11:37 | 12:59–13:05 | about 6 min 20 s | 81° | 14:23 |
| Sohag | 11:37 | 12:59–13:05 | about 6 min 20 s | 81° | 14:23 |
| Girga | 11:38 | 12:59–13:06 | about 6 min 20 s | 81° | 14:24 |
| Qena | 11:40 | 13:01–13:08 | about 6 min 10 s | 81° | 14:26 |
| Dishna | 11:39 | 13:01–13:07 | about 6 min 20 s | 81° | 14:25 |
| Qus | 11:40 | 13:02–13:08 | about 6 min 20 s | 82° | 14:26 |
| Luxor | 11:40 | 13:02–13:08 | about 6 min 20 s | 82° | 14:26 |
| Esna | 11:40 | 13:03–13:08 | about 5 min 50 s | 82° | 14:27 |
| Edfu | 11:42 | 13:04–13:10 | about 5 min 30 s | 82° | 14:28 |
| Kom Ombo | 11:42 | 13:06–13:10 | about 3 min 40 s | 83° | 14:29 |
Luxor: the longest totality
Luxor is about 60 km from the point of greatest eclipse, where totality lasts longest. Totality there runs from 13:02 to 13:08, about 6 min 20 s, with the Sun 82° up, so it can be watched from almost anywhere with a view of the sky. Sohag, Girga and Qena have about the same.
Aswan and the Red Sea: just outside
The southern edge of the path passes between Kom Ombo and Aswan. By our calculation 99.8% of the Sun is covered in Aswan, so a thin bright edge remains and it is not a total eclipse there; timeanddate.com also lists Aswan as partial. Kom Ombo, about 43 km north, has about 3 min 40 s of totality, and Edfu about 5 min 30 s. On the Red Sea coast, Hurghada is north-east of the path with 98.5% covered. Near an edge, a few kilometres decide whether you see totality at all.
A partial eclipse in the rest of Egypt
Local times (EEST, UTC+3).
| Town | Begins | Maximum | Ends | Sun covered | Sun’s height |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aswan | 11:43 | 13:08 | 14:30 | 99.8% | 83° |
| Hurghada | 11:41 | 13:05 | 14:25 | 98.5% | 80° |
| Faiyum | 11:33 | 12:56 | 14:17 | 97.8% | 78° |
| Cairo | 11:33 | 12:56 | 14:16 | 94.6% | 78° |
| Giza | 11:33 | 12:56 | 14:16 | 94.9% | 78° |
| Alexandria | 11:30 | 12:52 | 14:12 | 93.3% | 76° |
| Suez | 11:36 | 12:58 | 14:18 | 92.4% | 78° |
| Port Said | 11:35 | 12:56 | 14:15 | 88.3% | 76° |
Watching safely
Look at the Sun only through eclipse glasses or a viewer that meets the ISO 12312-2 standard, as NASA advises; ordinary sunglasses are not safe. You may take them off only while the Sun is completely covered, and must put them back on as soon as it starts to reappear. Outside the path the Sun is never completely covered, so even at 99.8% in Aswan it is not safe to look without protection. More in our explainer, Solar vs lunar eclipse.
Watch it in our simulator
See the eclipse from Luxor, Aswan or Cairo on our Eclipses page, or choose any other town and drag the time bar to watch the Moon cross the Sun.
Other countries on the path
The same eclipse in Spain and Gibraltar · Morocco · Egypt, and the whole path from the Atlantic to Somalia, with Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Saudi Arabia and Yemen, in our article Total solar eclipse of 2 August 2027, city by city.
Questions people ask
How long is totality in Luxor on 2 August 2027?
About 6 min 20 s by our calculation, from 13:02 to 13:08 EEST, UTC+3. NASA gives the longest totality of the eclipse, 6 minutes 23 seconds, near Luxor.
Will Aswan see the total eclipse?
No, only just. Aswan is a little south of the path: 99.8% of the Sun is covered at 13:08. Kom Ombo, about 43 km north, has about 3 min 40 s of totality.
Will Cairo see the 2027 eclipse?
Yes, as a partial eclipse: the Moon covers 94.6% of the Sun at 12:56 EEST, UTC+3, from 11:33 to 14:16. Totality begins about 220 km south, around Minya.
Is Hurghada in the path of totality?
No. Hurghada sees a partial eclipse, 98.5% of the Sun covered. The nearest totality is inland, in the Nile valley around Qena and Luxor.
What time is the eclipse in Egypt on 2 August 2027?
Around midday. In Luxor the partial eclipse begins at 11:40, totality runs 13:02–13:08 and the eclipse ends at 14:26 EEST, UTC+3.
How we calculated this
Times, totality lengths, the Sun’s height and the share of the Sun covered are calculated with Astronomy Engine for each town’s position and height, the same calculation as our Eclipses page, with the length of totality refined using the Moon’s radius that NASA uses for total eclipses. The edges of the path are worked out the same way, at sea level, every 0.2° of longitude. Town positions and heights come from GeoNames. NASA gives the longest totality anywhere as 6 minutes 23 seconds, near Luxor. The Sun’s height is at mid-eclipse; hills and buildings can hide a low Sun. Weather is not included.