Totality is the part of a total eclipse when the Sun or Moon is completely covered. At a total solar eclipse it lasts from seconds to about seven and a half minutes: the sky darkens, the corona appears, and it is the only time the Sun is safe to look at without eclipse glasses. Lunar totality can last over 100 minutes.
Understanding Totality
What happens during solar totality
In the last minutes before totality the light turns strange and flat, shadows sharpen and faint shadow bands may ripple across the ground. Then the last bead of sunlight goes out in the diamond ring and everything changes at once: the sky darkens to a deep blue twilight with a sunset glow all around the horizon, birds fall quiet and the corona appears. The temperature can drop by several degrees. At third contact a second diamond ring flashes on the opposite side of the Moon, and daylight returns as quickly as it went.
How long totality lasts
Solar totality depends on how much larger the Moon looks than the Sun and how fast its shadow passes over you; lunar totality on how centrally the Moon crosses Earth's umbra. The longest totalities on Orbital Radar's eclipse pages:
| Eclipse | Seen from | Longest totality |
|---|---|---|
| Solar, 12 August 2026 | Greenland, Iceland, northern Spain | 2 min 18 s |
| Solar, 2 August 2027 | Southern Spain, North Africa, Egypt, Arabia | 6 min 23 s |
| Solar, 22 July 2028 | Australia, New Zealand | 5 min 10 s |
| Lunar, 31 December 2028 | Asia, Australia, the Middle East, East Africa | 1 h 12 min |
| Lunar, 26 June 2029 | The Americas, Africa | 1 h 42 min |
| Lunar, 20 December 2029 | Europe, Africa, the Middle East, South Asia | 55 min |
The only time the glasses come off
Eclipse glasses are made for the partial phases. During totality the Sun's surface is hidden and the corona is only about as bright as a full Moon, so it can be watched with the naked eye. The moment the first bead of sunlight reappears at third contact, glasses go straight back on and any binoculars or cameras must be fitted with solar filters again. None of this applies to an annular eclipse, which never reaches totality. The eclipse safety guide covers every phase.