When is the next eclipse?

The running calendar of solar and lunar eclipses worth planning for, with honest visibility notes. Half of all eclipse disappointment is discovering the "eclipse tonight" headline was about a penumbral shading nobody can see. Dates are fixed by orbital mechanics; the only question is whether you're in the right place.

1The next ones, in order

☀ February 6, 2027: annular ("ring of fire") solar eclipse. The Moon sits too far away to fully cover the Sun, leaving a blazing ring. The annular path crosses far southern South America and the south Atlantic and ends at sunset over West Africa. Not visible from North America; eclipse glasses required throughout. An annular eclipse is never safe to view unaided.

☀ August 2, 2027: total solar eclipse, the century's headliner. Up to 6 minutes 22 seconds of totality, the longest on land until 2114, sweeping southern Spain, Gibraltar, Morocco, Libya, Egypt (maximum near Luxor) and the Arabian Peninsula. Not visible from the US, which is why it's the decade's great travel eclipse. Full guide →

🌕 Night of August 27–28, 2026: deep partial lunar eclipse (past). Earth's shadow covered 96% of the full Moon, visible start-to-finish across the Americas. The Americas' next deep lunar eclipse is June 26, 2029. Recap →

🌕 June 26, 2029: total lunar eclipse. The Americas' next deep lunar eclipse after August 2026. Far out, but it's the honest answer to "when's the next good one here?" For the Americas, 2027 and 2028's lunar eclipses are penumbral or shallow partials; Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia get a total lunar eclipse on December 31, 2028.

2Solar vs. lunar, in one minute

Solar eclipse: the Moon blocks the Sun. Only visible from a narrow path, often requires travel, and demands certified eclipse glasses at all times outside totality. Happens at new Moon.
Lunar eclipse: Earth's shadow falls on the Moon. Visible from the entire night side of the planet, completely safe to watch unaided, city skies are fine. Happens at full Moon.
They travel in pairs: a lunar eclipse typically comes about two weeks before or after a solar one: same alignment, opposite ends. August 2026's total solar (Iceland/Spain) and deep lunar (the Americas) were exactly such a pair.

Why a solar-storm site tracks eclipses. During totality the naked-eye view is the Sun's corona, the very atmosphere that launches the coronal mass ejections on our live map. An eclipse is the one moment the general public sees the thing we track every day.

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← The full sky calendar

3Sources

All dates and paths from NASA's eclipse catalogs (Espenak elements), cross-checked against timeanddate.com.
The "2027–2028 lunar eclipses are barely noticeable" note reflects the catalog: they are penumbral or shallow partial events; the next deep lunar eclipse visible from the Americas is the June 26, 2029 total.