The 2027 total eclipse
Eclipse safety in Egypt: your eyes and the heat
Two things can go wrong on 2 August 2027 in Egypt: your eyes and the heat. Look at the sun only through eclipse glasses or viewers made to ISO 12312-2, bought from a supplier on the American Astronomical Society's list, for the whole partial phase; they come off only during totality, which in Luxor runs from 13:02:03 to 13:08:23. And plan for heat: Luxor has averaged 42°C on 2 August and has reached 46°C, with the eclipse at the hottest time of day.
Your eyes
Eclipse glasses: what to buy and how to use them
- 1Buy to ISO 12312-2, from a listed supplier. Use the American Astronomical Society's list of suppliers. ISO writes the standard but certifies nothing, so "ISO certified" on a label proves nothing.
- 2Bring them from home. Do not count on finding reliable glasses in Luxor in eclipse week. Pack a spare pair per person.
- 3Check them before use. Throw away any pair with scratches, holes or a loose filter. Through good glasses the everyday world is black and only the sun shows.
- 4Sunglasses are not enough. Not even several pairs stacked, and not smoked glass or exposed film.
- 5Never look through optics with only glasses on. A camera, phone zoom, binoculars or telescope concentrates the light and burns through eclipse glasses. Optics need their own solar filter on the front.
- 6A pinhole is the no-glasses option. A card with a small hole, or the crescents under a palm tree, projects the sun safely onto the ground.
The full guidance is on the American Astronomical Society's eclipse site.
The one exception
When you can take them off
Only when the sun is completely covered, after the diamond ring has gone, and only inside the path. Put them back on at the first bright bead of returning sunlight.
Near an edge totality is short, so the moment to put glasses back on comes sooner: at Kom Ombo it is about 3m 39s, against 6m 20s in Luxor. Outside the path, in Aswan, Hurghada or Cairo, that moment never comes: even with 99.8 per cent covered, the remaining crescent can burn the retina, and the damage does not hurt while it happens. Use a timer or an app with an alarm a few seconds before third contact.
Families
Children and eclipse glasses
Young children will look up without thinking. Fit glasses that stay on (child sizes exist, or tie them with elastic), practise at home before the trip, and have one adult watch the children rather than the sky during the partial phase. A pinhole projector or a colander making crescents on the deck is a good job for a child who cannot keep glasses on. See also a dahabiya with children.
Midday in August
Coping with the heat
The eclipse runs from about 11:40 to 14:26, through the hottest part of an Upper Egyptian August day. Treat it like a desert outing: shade, water, cover and a plan to leave.
- 1Shade until totality. Sit under a canopy or umbrella and step out only to glance up. You need the open sky for six minutes, not three hours.
- 2Drink before you are thirsty. Start well before noon, keep going, and add oral rehydration salts or electrolytes. Avoid alcohol until evening.
- 3Cover up. A wide hat, loose long sleeves in light colours, high-factor sunscreen, and closed shoes: stone and sand burn bare feet.
- 4Cool your body. A wet scarf or cooling towel on the neck, and a cool cabin, car or hotel room to return to straight afterwards.
- 5Use the buddy system. Watch each other, especially older travellers and anyone on medication that affects heat or fluids. Ask your doctor before travel.
- 6Keep phones and cameras in the shade. Phones may shut down to protect themselves in direct sun at these temperatures.
Know the warning signs. Heavy sweating, faintness, headache, nausea and cramps mean heat exhaustion: move to shade, cool down and drink. Hot skin, confusion, a stop in sweating or collapse can mean heat stroke, which is an emergency: cool the person at once and get medical help. See also staying healthy on a Nile cruise.
Asked often
Eclipse safety in Egypt, answered
- Where can I buy eclipse glasses for Egypt 2027?
- Buy them before you travel, to the ISO 12312-2 standard, from a supplier on the American Astronomical Society's list, and pack a spare pair per person. Do not rely on buying them in Luxor in eclipse week.
- Is it safe to look at the eclipse in Aswan without glasses?
- No. Aswan is outside the path of totality, so even at about 99.8 per cent coverage the remaining sliver of sun can damage your eyes. Glasses must stay on the whole time.
- How hot will it be for the 2027 eclipse in Luxor?
- Very hot. Luxor's average high on 2 August over 17 years is 42°C, the highest recorded on that date 46°C, and the eclipse happens around 1 pm.
- Can I use my phone camera to look at the eclipse?
- Looking at the phone's screen is safe, but the phone needs a solar filter over its lens during the partial phases, and you still need eclipse glasses whenever you glance up at the sun. During totality you can photograph without a filter.
- Are sunglasses enough for watching a solar eclipse?
- No. Even very dark sunglasses let through far too much light. Use eclipse glasses or a handheld solar viewer made to ISO 12312-2.
