The total solar eclipse of 2 August 2027, from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: six minutes of totality with the Sun almost overhead.
6 min 03 sec of totality
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia is inside the path of totality. The Sun is completely covered for 6 min 03 sec, with the Sun 76 degrees above the horizon at maximum.
Planning to stand here? Your Eclipse Day computes this morning to the second for your exact coordinates, as a printable plan, a pocket field card and a calendar file with alarms.
Local contact times
All times are for Jeddah on Monday, 2 August 2027, in local clock time, computed for latitude 21.490, longitude 39.186 at sea level. A few hundred metres of elevation moves these by well under a second.
| Stage | Local time | UTC | What happens |
|---|---|---|---|
| Partial eclipse begins | 12:00:21 GMT+3 | 09:00:21 UTC | The Moon takes the first bite out of the Sun. Filters on. |
| Totality begins | 13:22:11 GMT+3 | 10:22:11 UTC | Only now is it safe to look with bare eyes. |
| Maximum eclipse | 13:25:12 GMT+3 | 10:25:12 UTC | The middle of totality, with the Sun 76 degrees above the horizon. |
| Totality ends | 13:28:14 GMT+3 | 10:28:14 UTC | Filters back on immediately, before the first bead of Sun returns. |
| Partial eclipse ends | 14:43:38 GMT+3 | 11:43:38 UTC | The Sun is whole again. |
- Sun altitude at maximum
- 76 degrees (almost directly overhead)
- Most of the Sun covered
- 100 percent
- Duration of totality
- 6 min 03 sec
- Whole eclipse lasts
- 2 hr 43 min
- Time zone
- Asia/Riyadh
- Coordinates used
- 21.490, 39.186
Which way the shadow moves
The Moon's shadow reaches Jeddah from the northwest and leaves toward the southeast, crossing at about 2,450 km/h. In the final minute before totality the darkening builds in the northwest sky, sweeps over, and races off toward the southeast. CycleCalcs computes this from the local timing gradient around the town.
Eye safety. A certified solar filter (eclipse glasses meeting the ISO 12312-2 standard count; the gear page explains what does) is required for every part of this eclipse except the 6 min 03 sec of totality itself. During totality, and only then, filters come off and the corona is safe to look at with bare eyes. Put them back on the instant the first bead of Sun returns; do not wait to be dazzled.
How much room is there
Jeddah sits about 125 km from the nearest edge of the path, measured along its own meridian (the perpendicular distance is less), which is comfortable margin.
It is close enough to the center line that a short drive gains little.
Distances are measured due south along this town's meridian. The path runs southeast here, so the true shortest hop is a little less than these figures: treat them as an upper bound. And on eclipse morning every road toward the center line carries everyone else's identical plan, so be in position early.
What 6 min 03 sec of totality actually is
For 6 min 03 sec the Moon covers the whole of the Sun's disc. Daylight collapses into a deep, strange twilight, the temperature dips, and the corona, the Sun's outer atmosphere, invisible from the ground at any other time, stands out around a black disc. Because the shadow is only a few hundred kilometres wide, the horizon glows with sunset colors in every direction at once. The brighter stars can come out; among the planets, Jupiter stands about twenty degrees from the eclipsed Sun, while Venus, the showpiece of most total eclipses, sits within three degrees of it that morning and stays lost in the glare. Nothing at 99 percent resembles this: a deep partial is a dimmed day, not a revealed corona, which is why the margin section above matters.
What to expect here
Jeddah gets almost exactly six minutes with the Sun near 76 degrees, one of the highest of any city on the path. A Sun that high means totality arrives with no horizon effects at all: the sky simply closes over. It is also the most straightforward long-duration site to reach by air.
It will almost certainly be clear in the ordinary sense: rain and thick cloud are rare on the Red Sea coast in August. The honest caveats are humidity haze and airborne dust, which soften the horizon without threatening a Sun this high.
Frequently asked questions
What time is totality in Jeddah?
Totality in Jeddah begins at 13:22:11 GMT+3 and ends at 13:28:14 GMT+3 local time, lasting 6 min 03 sec. In UTC, that is 10:22:11 to 10:28:14. CycleCalcs computes these times for latitude 21.490, longitude 39.186.
Is Jeddah in the path of totality on August 2, 2027?
Yes. Jeddah is inside the path: the Sun is completely covered for 6 min 03 sec, with maximum eclipse at 13:25:12 GMT+3 local time.
Which direction does the eclipse shadow come from in Jeddah?
The shadow reaches Jeddah from the northwest and leaves toward the southeast, crossing at about 2,450 km/h. In the final minute before totality the darkening builds in the northwest sky.
Can I see the eclipse from my location?
These times hold for Jeddah and a few kilometres around it. Totality exists only inside a narrow path, though a partial eclipse covers a far wider region. For any other spot, the CycleCalcs Eclipse Explorer computes local contact times and coverage for coordinates you give it.
Is the eclipse safe for children to watch?
Yes, with the same rules as adults: certified eclipse glasses meeting ISO 12312-2 for every partial phase, and bare eyes only during the 6 min 03 sec of totality. The moments that need an adult's attention are around 13:22:11 GMT+3, when filters come off, and 13:28:14 GMT+3, when they must go straight back on; the table above has both instants to the second.
Take August 2, 2027 with you
The next total solar eclipse crosses southern Spain, North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula on August 2, 2027. Put every eclipse in your calendar app with one free feed, or leave an address for an occasional note as the date approaches.
Calendar feeds: subscribe (webcal) · download the .ics · all feeds and setup
Checking another location
This page is computed for one set of coordinates. For anywhere else, including a specific hotel, a viewpoint or a spot out on the path, the Eclipse Explorer computes local contact times and how much of the Sun is covered for any location you give it, and the main page for this eclipse carries the global circumstances, the Saros series and the shape of the path.
These are mean-limb times. The Moon's edge is mountainous, so the exact instants totality begins and ends shift by a second or two depending on which lunar valley the last sliver of Sun drains through. That correction is smaller than the difference a short drive makes, and smaller than the error in standing somewhere other than these exact coordinates. Every figure here is a computed fact you may reuse freely; see how these were computed.
The same eclipse from other towns
Every town below is computed the same way, so the durations are directly comparable.
Ceuta
4 min 51 sec of totality, Sun 38 degrees up.
Cadiz, Spain
2 min 54 sec of totality, Sun 37 degrees up.
Malaga, Spain
1 min 51 sec of totality, Sun 39 degrees up.
Aswan, Egypt
Outside the path: about 99 percent covered, no totality.
Marsa Matruh, Egypt
Outside the path: about 97 percent covered, no totality.
All towns, side by side
Every town on this path in one table, sorted by how long totality lasts.