Luxor, located in southern Egypt, is often described as “the greatest open-air museum in the world,” and for thousands of years it has shone with its majestic tombs, temples and monuments. But in less than a year, the “City of the Sun” will be plunged into complete darkness during daylight hours.
On August 2, 2027, a total eclipse will obscure the solar disk over parts of North Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. However, the longest duration of the total eclipse phase will be observable near Luxor, where it will last 6 minutes and 23 seconds, which is the longest of any place on Earth until the year 2114, according to NASA.
Next summer's eclipse will be the second longest total solar eclipse in the twenty-first century, after the July 2009 eclipse. It should be noted that the point of maximum duration of the total eclipse that year occurred over the Pacific Ocean, hundreds of miles southeast of the Japanese coast.
In the year 2027, after it enters the path of the total eclipse from the Atlantic Ocean, it will pass through the southern tip of Spain, Gibraltar, and northern Morocco, then bend, passing through parts of Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Somalia, before ending in the Indian Ocean.
This path will place a strip of major cities in the dark zone, with a maximum width of about 259 kilometers, including Cádiz in Spain, Tangier in Morocco, Oran in Algeria, Benghazi in Libya, and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.
However, no other city can provide a similar duration of total eclipse, or a backdrop comparable to that of Luxor. The city, which extends on both banks of the Nile and is built over the ruins of the ancient city of Thebes, is located between the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens, and will provide a stunning view of the longest total solar eclipse that can be seen from land since 1991.
Oxford University astrophysics professor Roger Davies will be in the perfect position to witness the so-called “eclipse of the century”, in an experience that could give him some of the most amazing minutes of his career spent staring into space.
"Six minutes and 23 seconds is a very long time. Your eyes will have to adapt to the dark," Davis told CNN.
He added: "What you usually see is two planets and two of the brightest stars. I hope that this time we will be able to see a much larger number."
Chasing the sun
An additional advantage is the high probability of clear skies in Luxor. Although dust from the deserts of the Arabian Peninsula and the Sahara may pose a potential problem, the region experiences minimal cloud cover during the summer, according to Canadian meteorologist Jay Anderson, founder of the website Eclipsophile, which specializes in tracking weather conditions related to astronomical phenomena.
But the factor that will definitely be present is heat. Although temperatures will drop during the eclipse, they will start from very high levels at the height of summer in Luxor, where daytime temperatures regularly exceed 41 degrees Celsius.
The partial eclipse is scheduled to begin near the city shortly after 11:40 a.m. local time, with the total eclipse phase reaching its peak at 1:05 p.m.
Anderson warns that prolonged exposure to extreme heat may degrade the performance and production quality of modern photographic equipment, as well as pose risks to the people using that equipment.
As an expert on one of several tours designed to view next year's eclipse, Davies has already secured his observing location, likely from the balcony or roof of an air-conditioned hotel. But he fears that many others will be disappointed.
The greatest threat to those wishing to view this unique eclipse may not be clouds or dust, but rather other viewers.
The astrophysicist warned that the potential gathering of millions of people to watch the eclipse within a relatively narrow geographical area could lead to hotels being completely filled and roads being clogged with traffic.
The Independent newspaper reported that the prices of some hotels in Iceland and Spain rose by 98% and 135%, respectively, ahead of last week's eclipse.
According to Booking.com, more than 90% of the accommodation in Luxor available for booking through the platform during next year’s eclipse is currently no longer available, while the prices of many remaining hotels exceed two thousand pounds ($2,695) per night.
The nine-day trip, which Davies will take part in as an expert, with prices starting at £4,950 ($6,600), is fully booked. The same applies to a week-long program organized by the Harvard University Alumni Association, and its cost starts at $26,950 per person, during which groups will travel by private plane from London to Luxor via Giza, with accommodation in five-star hotels.
"The whole world must come"
As for Africa in general, the eclipse is expected to enhance the continent's growing reputation as one of the most prominent astronomical tourism destinations.
With light pollution worsening around the world, a third of people, including 80% of the North American population, are unable to see the Milky Way, while more than 99% of the population of the United States and Europe live under skies affected by light pollution, according to a study published in 2016.
The study added that the three countries least affected by light pollution, Chad, the Central African Republic and Madagascar, are all located in Africa. Namibia and South Africa have also worked to establish themselves as prominent destinations for astronomy tourism, as both have sites certified by DarkSky, a non-profit organization concerned with combating light pollution.
The African continent also has a long history with eclipses. In 1919, British astronomer Arthur Eddington led a team to the island of Principe in West Africa to photograph a total solar eclipse. The images taken at that time contributed to providing evidence of Albert Einstein's theory of relativity, by observing the bending of starlight due to gravity as it passed near the sun.
In 1973, North Africa became the scene of a daring scientific adventure, when researchers boarded Concorde 001 to chase the moon's shadow along the Tropic of Cancer at a speed of about 2,173 kilometers per hour. The plane's supersonic speed allowed the team to extend the viewing period of the total eclipse from 7 minutes to 74 minutes, setting a record that still stands for the longest observation period for a total solar eclipse in history.
More recently, in 2016, skywatchers in southern and central Africa were treated to a stunning view of a “ring of fire,” where the Sun’s surroundings were illuminated from behind the Moon in a phenomenon known as an annular solar eclipse.
As for astronomers in Egypt, next year's long eclipse can't come soon enough for them. The National Institute for Astronomical and Geophysical Research is located in Cairo, and it is the oldest research institute in North Africa. It also houses what is said to be the largest telescope in the Arab world, at the Katameya Astronomical Observatory.
Although Cairo will be outside the path of the total eclipse on that day, it will witness a partial eclipse that will obscure 94% of the sun’s disk. However, the telescope, which weighs 50 tons, will be directed towards the sky as part of a large-scale research program, according to what Ashraf Shaker, head of the astronomy department at the institute, explained.
“The whole world should come, tourists and scholars,” Shaker told CNN.
