6-minute total solar eclipse will plunge major parts of world into darkness. Is your city on the list?

A historic solar eclipse is set to take place on August 2, 2027. The sun will be hidden from sight, plunging the world into darkness for a total of six minutes. The longest total solar eclipse in recorded history happened on June 15, 743 BC, when everything went dark for 7 minutes and 28 seconds. The path of totality of the eclipse is approximately 275 km wide as it will cover several continents. It is also being called the "Great North African Eclipse" because it will cover several countries in Africa. The 2027 solar eclipse is special for its duration and also because something like this is not going to happen for another 100 years. The next such event will occur in 2114. It will start over the Atlantic Ocean and travel through the Strait of Gibraltar, southern Spain, northern Africa, and stretch into the Arabian Peninsula. It will fade over the Indian Ocean. Its huge path means it will be visible to millions of people. Also Read: New NASA telescope will record 100,000 cosmic blasts, including stars that killed themselves 10 billion years ago

Why is 2027 solar eclipse six minutes long?

The "Great North African Eclipse" is a result of a rare cosmic alignment involving the Sun, the Moon and Earth. All three bodies will be in a position that would make the eclipse last long. Earth will be at aphelion, its farthest point from the Sun from where our star will appear smaller. At the same time, the Moon will be at perigee, its closest point to Earth, making it appear larger. The Moon will cast its shadow on a path near the equator and move more slowly. This would make the total solar eclipse last longer. Everyone who is right on the path of totality will get to see the shadow lingering for even longer. Also Read: Our Sun has a fresh 400,000-kilometre-long scar and it might not heal soon. Here's what happened

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Best places to see 2027 total solar eclipse

The 2027 solar eclipse will begin in the Atlantic Ocean and make landfall around the Strait of Gibraltar. Totality will first be visible in Southern Spain, Gibraltar, and Morocco. Next in line will be Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt, where the eclipse will occur when the sun is at its highest point in the sky. It will then cross the Red Sea, plunging Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Somalia into darkness. In the Spanish cities of Cádiz and Málaga, it would be completely dark for over four minutes. Also Read: Voyager 1 at one light-day: Spacecraft to reach unthinkable milestone after 49 years

Morocco’s Tangier and Tetouan will be two of the best places to see the total solar eclipse, as they will be right under the central shadow stripe. Benghazi in Libya would also make for a good haunt, as the dark skies will last nearly five minutes. Near Egypt’s historic city of Luxor, it will be pitch black for more than six minutes. Italy's island of Lampedusa would have almost total coverage. Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah and Mecca, and parts of Yemen and Somalia, would be the last ones to see the eclipse. However, the 2027 solar eclipse won't be visible in India.