Moon

A total solar eclipse is set to pass over Luxor in August 2027

A total solar eclipse is set to pass over the temples of Luxor in August 2027, the Caledonian Record reports. The event falls on August 2, when the moon's shadow is due to cross several countries before reaching Egypt, according to Travel Noire.

The eclipse places the ancient Egyptian city near the point of greatest eclipse, Space reports. According to Space, Luxor's east bank includes the Karnak and Luxor temple complexes, while the west bank includes the Valley of the Kings and the Temple of Hatshepsut.

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The moon's shadow crosses Egypt#

A solar eclipse occurs when the moon moves between Earth and the sun, obscuring the sun from part of Earth, according to Wikipedia. During a total eclipse, the moon covers the sun's disk completely. Totality, the period of complete coverage, occurs along a narrow path.

The Traveler reports that eclipse maps show the path entering Egypt through the western desert, crossing oases including Siwa and following the Nile corridor near Sohag and Luxor. The route then turns toward the Red Sea coast. The same eclipse also crosses southern Spain and northern Morocco.

Travel Noire cites calculations by retired NASA astrophysicist Fred Espenak that put the maximum duration of totality near Luxor at 6 minutes and 23 seconds. His figures put the duration in the city itself at 6 minutes and 22 seconds.

Luxor prepares for eclipse visitors#

The Caledonian Record reports that Luxor's builders saw the sun as a force that kept the world in order. They based their calendar and festivals on its movement, but left few accounts of the darkness they witnessed over the city.

More than 90% of Luxor accommodations listed on Booking.com for the eclipse dates were unavailable during the summer, CNN reported, according to Travel Noire. Many rooms still listed cost more than $2,695 for one night. The date falls during Luxor's quiet season for international visitors, Travel Noire reports.

Egypt's Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Sherif Fathy, formed a committee to organize the country's response and chaired its first meeting on September 1, Travel Noire reports. Egypt's National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics puts the start of totality in Luxor at about 1:02 p.m. local time on August 2, 2027.

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