A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partly obscuring the image of the Sun for a viewer on Earth. A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's apparent diameter is larger than the Sun's, blocking all direct sunlight, turning day into darkness. Totality occurs in a narrow path across Earth's surface, with the partial solar eclipse visible over a surrounding region thousands of kilometres wide.
Let's delve into the details of total solar eclipses, with a focus on their visibility in South Africa and related facts.
The Upcoming Total Solar Eclipse of 2027
СОЛНЕЧНОЕ и ЛУННОЕ затмение
A total solar eclipse will occur at the Moon's descending node of orbit on Monday, August 2, 2027, with a magnitude of 1.079. Totality will commence over the eastern Atlantic Ocean and travel across the Strait of Gibraltar between Spain and Morocco, and continue across parts of North Africa and the Middle East. Also, It will be visible in Central Asia, Indian Ocean Islands. It will be the first of three total solar eclipses that are observable in Tunisia in the 21st century, passing over the central part of the country.
This is the second longest total solar eclipse in the 21st century, the longest being the eclipse prior to this one in Solar Saros 136, that of July 22, 2009. The maximum duration of this eclipse is 6 minutes and 23.2 seconds, occurring in the northeastern part of Egypt's New Valley Governorate.
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Planetary and Stellar Visibility During the Eclipse
The eclipsed Sun will be in mid-Cancer, a few degrees southeast of the Beehive Cluster (which will not be visible to the naked eye) and Venus (which will most definitely be seen if the sky is at all transparent). Mercury will be several degrees west of Venus. Venus will be hanging out with Jupiter in the (constellation) Gemini home of Pollux and Castor. Saturn will be many degrees west of the Sun. Mars will be many degrees farther east in Virgo.
Over most of the continental areas in the path of totality, the Winter Hexagon will be visible, although on the Arabian Peninsula its westernmost stars -- Aldebaran and Rigel-will be low.
Visibility of the 2025 Eclipse in South Africa
From South Africa (Pretoria), the Moon rose after the eclipse had already begun. You were able to see the event in progress, starting from the start of the partial eclipse (U1) through to its conclusion. In the local timezone, the greatest eclipse happened on September 7, 2025 at 20:11:46 SAST.
The interactive map below illustrates the visibility of the eclipse across the globe.
Eclipse Phases and Timings for September 7, 2025
For each eclipse phase, a link to visualize an interactive star map showing the position of the Moon in the sky is also provided. A positive altitude means the Moon is above the horizon and the corresponding event is visible.
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| Eclipse Phase | Local Time (SAST) | UTC Time | Moon Altitude | Moon Direction | Visibility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penumbral Eclipse Begins | 2025-09-07 17:28:06 | 2025-09-07 15:28:06 | - | - | Not Visible |
| Partial Eclipse Begins | 2025-09-07 18:26:51 | 2025-09-07 16:26:51 | - | East | Visible (Low on Horizon) |
| Total Eclipse Begins | 2025-09-07 19:30:36 | 2025-09-07 17:30:36 | 21.2° | East | - |
| Greatest Eclipse | 2025-09-07 20:11:46 | 2025-09-07 18:11:46 | 30.1° | East | - |
| Total Eclipse Ends | 2025-09-07 20:53:18 | 2025-09-07 18:53:18 | 38.9° | East-North-East | - |
| Partial Eclipse Ends | 2025-09-07 21:56:53 | 2025-09-07 19:56:53 | 51.9° | East-North-East | - |
| Penumbral Eclipse Ends | 2025-09-07 22:55:27 | 2025-09-07 20:55:27 | 62.2° | - | - |
Eclipse Magnitude and Obscuration
The magnitude of an eclipse refers to the fraction of the Moon’s diameter covered by Earth’s umbra. Obscuration refers to the percentage of the Moon's area covered by Earth's umbra.
Eclipse Cycles and Series
This eclipse is part of an eclipse season, a period, roughly every six months, when eclipses occur. Only two (or occasionally three) eclipse seasons occur each year, and each season lasts about 35 days and repeats just short of six months (173 days) later; thus two full eclipse seasons always occur each year. Either two or three eclipses happen each eclipse season.
This eclipse is a part of Saros series 136, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, and containing 71 events. The series started with a partial solar eclipse on June 14, 1360. It contains annular eclipses from September 8, 1504 through November 12, 1594; hybrid eclipses from November 22, 1612 through January 17, 1703; and total eclipses from January 27, 1721 through May 13, 2496. The series ends at member 71 as a partial eclipse on July 30, 2622.
The metonic series repeats eclipses every 19 years (6939.69 days), lasting about 5 cycles. Eclipses occur in nearly the same calendar date. In addition, the octon subseries repeats 1/5 of that or every 3.8 years (1387.94 days).
The Total Solar Eclipse of May 29, 1919
A total solar eclipse occurred on Thursday, May 29, 1919. It was visible throughout most of South America and Africa as a partial eclipse. Totality occurred through a narrow path across southeastern Peru, northern Chile, central Bolivia and Brazil after sunrise, across the Atlantic Ocean and into south central Africa, covering southern Liberia, southern French West Africa (the part now belonging to Ivory Coast), the extreme southwestern tip of the British Gold Coast (now Ghana), Príncipe Island in Portuguese São Tomé and Príncipe, southern Spanish Guinea (now Equatorial Guinea), French Equatorial Africa (the parts now belonging to Gabon and R.
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Einstein's prediction of the bending of light by the gravity of the Sun, one of the components of his general theory of relativity, can be tested during a solar eclipse, when stars with apparent position near the Sun become visible. Following an unsuccessful attempt to validate this prediction during the Solar eclipse of June 8, 1918, two expeditions were made to measure positions of stars during this eclipse (see Eddington experiment). They were organized under the direction of Sir Dyson.
Myths and Superstitions About Eclipses
Many cultures viewed a solar eclipse as if some mythic creature devouring the Sun. In ancient China, it was a celestial dragon, and in southeast Asia, they imagined it to be a giant turtle, frog, or toad. In Korea, “fire dogs” were believed to steal the Sun and when they bit it, an eclipse resulted.
For the Vikings, a hungry wolf named Sköll (whose name means “Treachery”) raced across the sky, hunting down and eating the Sun. In Hindu mythology, it was believed that the demon Rahu stole an elixir of immortality, called amrita, but was beheaded by the god Vishnu before he could fully swallow it.
To this day, superstitions persist about eclipses. Many cultures still believe that eclipses are evil omens that bring death and destruction. One of the most pervasive is that eclipses are dangerous to young children and pregnant women.
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