Will World Turn Dark for 6 Minutes on Saturday? Here is the Truth About the August Solar Eclipse

The August solar eclipse has been one of the most discussed topics online in the recent past. The reason for it is a viral claim that the world will go dark for six minutes on Saturday, August 2. Skywatchers have been posting videos and photos related to this claim, describing it as a record-breaking solar eclipse.

The social media posts captured the attention of millions worldwide and went viral. Is it true that the whole world will go dark for six minutes on Saturday due to the record-breaking solar eclipse? The truth is that one of the most significant and longest solar eclipses will take place on August — but it’s not this year.

The spectacular event, which can be described as the eclipse of the century, will take place on August 2, 2027. The moon usually completely blocks the sun for about 10 seconds during the solar eclipse. But the August solar eclipse will be different because the moon will slide between the sun and the Earth for nearly six minutes and 22 seconds.

August Solar Eclipse

The spectacular event will be known as the longest solar eclipse of the 21st century. An unusually long solar eclipse of the recent past was when the moon slid between the Earth and the sun for four minutes and 28 seconds on April 8, 2024. It was clearly visible across the US, Canada, and Mexico.

However, experts said it is not the longest solar eclipse of the century because it will be 16 minutes shorter than the solar eclipse of July 22, 2009. According to Greg Brown, a senior astronomer at the Royal Museums Greenwich, the 2009 eclipse mostly occurred above the ocean, making it difficult to observe. That’s why the 2027 eclipse is claimed to be the eclipse of the century.

“Six minutes is seriously a long time. It varies from only a few seconds at its shortest to a theoretical maximum of 7.5 minutes. This variation is due to the Moon and Sun varying in apparent size, itself, because of their slightly changing distance from the Earth during the Moon’s orbit around the Earth and the Earth’s orbit around the Sun”, the Astronomer told Metro.

Unfortunately, the whole world cannot witness the spectacular event. The August solar eclipse of 2027 will be visible from 10 countries — Spain, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Somalia. It will be a total solar eclipse as the sun will completely disappear behind the moon. When it happens, the moment will be called totality. During totality, the moon will completely block the sun, creating darkness in the day for a few brief minutes.