Will I see the 2027 solar eclipse in Istanbul?
Partly
59% of the Sun is covered at 12:39 local time. A partial eclipse: worth a look through eclipse glasses, but the day stays bright. Totality is 1,090 km to the south-west.
When to look
Local time in Istanbul (UTC+3).
- 11:27:14StartsThe Moon touches the Sun
- 12:39:08Most covered59% of the Sun
- 13:50:51EndsThe Sun is whole again
Will the Sun be clear at 12:39?
Better than even. Around 12:39 from 21 July to 14 August, the sky over Istanbul is on average 69% free of cloud: roughly the chance that the Sun is clear when the eclipse peaks.
2 August around 12:39, every year since 2001
- 012001: cloudy
- 022002: cloudy
- 032003: some cloud
- 042004: clear
- 052005: clear
- 062006: clear
- 072007: cloudy
- 082008: clear
- 092009: clear
- 102010: some cloud
- 112011: clear
- 122012: clear
- 132013: clear
- 142014: cloudy
- 152015: some cloud
- 162016: clear
- 172017: clear
- 182018: some cloud
- 192019: clear
- 202020: clear
- 212021: clear
- 222022: clear
- 232023: clear
- 242024: clear
- 252025: cloudy
Clear or nearly clear in 16 of 25 years on the day itself (NASA POWER). One day is luck; the 69% above averages every day from 21 July to 14 August. How: NASA POWER hourly cloud data (2001–2025), corrected to match the weather reports of the 66 airports we checked (NOAA ISD, 2006–2025); NASA alone was up to 20 points too sunny along the Strait of Gibraltar. A real forecast exists about a week before: we'll add it here.
Staying in Siwa Oasis
Rooms in the path go first: book now with free cancellation, then check the forecast a week before. Siwa Oasis has 5 min 29 s of totality and a 98% clear record.
Keep your eyes safe
Look at the Sun only through eclipse glasses or a solar viewer made to ISO 12312-2. Sunglasses are not enough, even at 99%.
Once the last bead of sunlight disappears, take the glasses off and look. Put them back on the moment the Sun's edge reappears.
Never point binoculars, a telescope or a camera lens at the partial Sun without a solar filter on the front.
Istanbul eclipse: questions
It starts at 11:27 and ends at 13:50 local time (UTC+3). The most is covered at 12:39.
No. Istanbul sees a partial eclipse with 59% of the Sun covered. The nearest totality is about 1,090 km to the south-west; Siwa Oasis (1,350 km) gets 5 min 29 s.
Nobody can know that until about a week before. From history: around 12:39 in late July and early August, the sky over Istanbul is on average 69% free of cloud, so roughly a 69% chance that the Sun is clear when the eclipse peaks. That is NASA satellite-based cloud data corrected with nearby airports' weather reports.
The Sun will be 66° above the horizon in the south, so pick a spot with an open view that way: a beach, a rooftop terrace or a hill. At that height buildings rarely get in the way.
Yes, for everything except totality itself. Use glasses or viewers made to ISO 12312-2. In a partial eclipse you need them the whole time, even at 99%.