Solar eclipses in 2026, 2027, and 2028
I had a dream about seeing a solar eclipse yesterday and I realized, hey, there's actually one happening this year! I looked it up, and there will actually be THREE total solar eclipses in the next three years! The dates and locations for the path of totality are:
August 12, 2026: Passes over Greenland, Iceland, northern and eastern Spain and the Balearic islands
August 2, 2027: Passes over the coast of northern Africa starting at the Gibraltar strait, Egypt, and southern Saudi Arabia
July 22, 2028: Passes over Christmas Island, Australia including Sydney, and a tiny slice of southern New Zealand/Aotearoa
This is so exciting! It's the first time mainland Europe gets a total eclipse since 1999, and we're technically getting two of them in a row! The coverage of the 2024 solar eclipse in the US convinced me that I should definitely make the effort of seeing one in totality; I saw the one in 1999 when I was on vacation with my family but it was only partial. I'm looking into planning a trip to Spain for this year, and any of the coastal cities west of Bilbao seem like good candidates. I'll ask around with my friends to see if anyone else is interested in going, but it doesn't seem like other people are as hyped about solar eclipses.
Some people say that a total solar eclipse is a must-see at least once in your life, and that the difference between witnessing a partial eclipse and totality is literally and figuratively night and day. I've seen it described as looking God in the eye. Others say that totality was cool to see but not life-changing or anything. I'm looking forward to making my own judgment.
Anyway, any mutuals like the sound of that idea? If there's anything worth coordinating a meetup around, it's a solar eclipse!
