Jeddah will experience almost six minutes of darkness when a total solar eclipse passes over Saudi Arabia on Monday, August 2, 2027. The city lies directly within the path of totality, placing it among the best locations in the Kingdom from which to watch the rare astronomical event. It will be Saudi Arabia’s first total solar eclipse in more than 75 years and one of the longest visible anywhere in the world this century.
The eclipse will begin in Jeddah at around midday as the Moon gradually moves across the Sun. Totality is expected at approximately 1.25pm, when the Sun will be completely covered and the afternoon sky will briefly turn dark. The eclipse will end at around 2.43pm, with the period of total darkness lasting just under six minutes.
For those few minutes, the city is expected to look and feel closer to twilight than the middle of a summer afternoon. Temperatures may fall, bright stars and planets could become visible and the Sun’s outer atmosphere, known as the corona, will appear around the edge of the Moon.
The eclipse will cross southern Spain and parts of North Africa before reaching Saudi Arabia and continuing towards Yemen and Somalia. Within the Kingdom, totality will be visible across parts of the western and southern regions, while areas outside the narrow path will see a partial eclipse instead.
Jeddah’s position close to the centre of the eclipse path will give residents one of the longest periods of totality available in Saudi Arabia. Open areas along the Red Sea coast are likely to become popular viewing spots, particularly locations with a clear view of the sky and few surrounding buildings.
Public viewing events may also be organised by astronomy groups and local organisations closer to August 2027. No official programme has been announced yet, but the scale of the event is likely to attract both residents and visitors hoping to experience it from within the path of totality.
Anyone planning to watch will need suitable eye protection. Ordinary sunglasses do not provide enough protection during the partial stages of an eclipse. Certified solar-viewing glasses should be used, while cameras, binoculars and telescopes must be fitted with proper solar filters.
The full event will pass in less than three hours, but Jeddah’s brief period of midday darkness will make it one of the city’s most unusual events of 2027.