RIYADH: The world will witness one of the longest total solar eclipses of the 21st century, on Aug. 2, 2027.
It will be a rare astronomical event not seen in Saudi Arabia for more than 75 years that will temporarily turn daylight into darkness.
The path of totality will cross large parts of western and southern Saudi Arabia, placing the Kingdom in a strategic global position for observation, while neighboring Egypt is expected to record the maximum duration.
The Saudi Space Agency stated that total darkness will last about six minutes in southern areas such as Abha, and about five minutes and 50 seconds in Jeddah and parts of the western coast, offering researchers and enthusiasts a prime opportunity to study the solar corona.
Meanwhile, the central, eastern and northern regions of the Kingdom will experience a partial solar eclipse with obscuration reaching up to 80 percent, with exact timings and coverage varying by location.
The agency has called on people to follow safety guidelines, urging observers to avoid looking directly at the sun without specialized protective glasses or filtered binoculars.
