On August 2, 2027, sky gazers across North Africa, Europe, and the Middle East will witness what astronomers are already calling "the eclipse of the century" — a total solar eclipse with a duration of totality that on easily accessible land for the rest of the 21st century.

The maximum totality will last 6 minutes and 23 seconds, according to In contrast, the totality of the "Great American Eclipse" that crossed over much of the U.S. on Aug. 21, 2017, lasted just 2 minutes and 40 seconds.

The longest a totality can take, based on the distances between the Earth, moon and sun, is 7 minutes and 32 seconds.

The longest total solar eclipse in recent history was on July 11, 1991 across Hawaii, Mexico, Central America, and South America. The 1991 eclipse lasted 6 minutes and 53 seconds at max

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