Solar & Lunar Eclipses Visible from Mecca
Every eclipse in the 2024–2040 catalog that reaches Mecca (21.3891°, 39.8579°), with contact times on the Asia/Riyadh clock.
Checking the catalog against today's date…
Open the calculator at Mecca's coordinates29 of the 39 in the catalog are above the horizon here, 7 of them total. Times are Asia/Riyadh, converted per eclipse.
Mecca's best-placed eclipse in the window is the total lunar eclipse of February 12, 2036, greatest at 1:11 AM GMT+3. The moon is fully inside Earth's shadow for 1h 15m, and the whole eclipse happens with the moon up — 78° above the horizon at greatest eclipse.
| Date | From Mecca | Local times | Moon |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wednesday, September 18, 2024 Partial lunar eclipse | Partial The eclipse is still under way at moonset — the moon sets at about 6:11 AM, during the partial phase. The rest of it happens below Mecca's horizon. | 5:44 AM GMT+3 greatest eclipse Umbral 5:12 AM – 6:15 AM | 6° up at greatest |
| Sunday, September 7, 2025 Total lunar eclipse | Total The whole eclipse is above Mecca's horizon, from first contact to last. | 9:11 PM GMT+3 greatest eclipse Totality 8:30 PM – 9:52 PM | 37° up at greatest 1h 22m total |
| Friday, August 28, 2026 Partial lunar eclipse | Partial The eclipse is still under way at moonset — the moon sets at about 6:06 AM, during the partial phase. The rest of it happens below Mecca's horizon. | 7:12 AM GMT+3 greatest eclipse Umbral 5:33 AM – 8:51 AM | below the horizon at greatest |
| Sunday, February 21, 2027 Penumbral lunar eclipse | Penumbral The whole eclipse is above Mecca's horizon, from first contact to last. | 2:12 AM GMT+3 greatest eclipse | 64° up at greatest |
| Sunday, July 18, 2027 Penumbral lunar eclipse | Penumbral The eclipse begins below the horizon — the moon rises over Mecca at about 7:01 PM, already in the penumbral shading. Everything before that happens while the moon is down. | 7:02 PM GMT+3 greatest eclipse | 0° up at greatest |
| Wednesday, January 12, 2028 Partial lunar eclipse | Partial The eclipse is still under way at moonset — the moon sets at about 7:04 AM, during the partial phase. The rest of it happens below Mecca's horizon. | 7:12 AM GMT+3 greatest eclipse Umbral 6:44 AM – 7:40 AM | below the horizon at greatest |
| Thursday, July 6, 2028 Partial lunar eclipse | Partial The eclipse begins below the horizon — the moon rises over Mecca at about 7:03 PM, already in the penumbral shading. Everything before that happens while the moon is down. | 9:19 PM GMT+3 greatest eclipse Umbral 8:08 PM – 10:30 PM | 27° up at greatest |
| Sunday, December 31, 2028 Total lunar eclipse | Total The eclipse begins below the horizon — the moon rises over Mecca at about 5:45 PM, already in the penumbral shading. Everything before that happens while the moon is down. | 7:51 PM GMT+3 greatest eclipse Totality 7:16 PM – 8:27 PM | 28° up at greatest 1h 11m total |
| Tuesday, June 26, 2029 Total lunar eclipse | Partial The eclipse is still under way at moonset — the moon sets at about 5:44 AM, during totality. The rest of it happens below Mecca's horizon. | 6:22 AM GMT+3 greatest eclipse Totality 5:31 AM – 7:13 AM | below the horizon at greatest 1h 42m total |
| Friday, December 21, 2029 Total lunar eclipse | Total The whole eclipse is above Mecca's horizon, from first contact to last. | 1:41 AM GMT+3 greatest eclipse Totality 1:15 AM – 2:08 AM | 71° up at greatest 54m total |
| Saturday, June 15, 2030 Partial lunar eclipse | Partial The whole eclipse is above Mecca's horizon, from first contact to last. | 9:33 PM GMT+3 greatest eclipse Umbral 8:21 PM – 10:45 PM | 29° up at greatest |
| Tuesday, December 10, 2030 Penumbral lunar eclipse | Penumbral The whole eclipse is above Mecca's horizon, from first contact to last. | 1:27 AM GMT+3 greatest eclipse | 73° up at greatest |
| Wednesday, May 7, 2031 Penumbral lunar eclipse | Penumbral The eclipse is still under way at moonset — the moon sets at about 5:50 AM, during the penumbral shading. The rest of it happens below Mecca's horizon. | 6:50 AM GMT+3 greatest eclipse | below the horizon at greatest |
| Sunday, April 25, 2032 Total lunar eclipse | Partial The eclipse begins below the horizon — the moon rises over Mecca at about 6:40 PM, already in totality. Everything before that happens while the moon is down. | 6:13 PM GMT+3 greatest eclipse Totality 5:40 PM – 6:46 PM | below the horizon at greatest 1h 6m total |
| Monday, October 18, 2032 Total lunar eclipse | Total The whole eclipse is above Mecca's horizon, from first contact to last. | 10:02 PM GMT+3 greatest eclipse Totality 9:38 PM – 10:25 PM | 58° up at greatest 47m total |
| Thursday, April 14, 2033 Total lunar eclipse | Total The whole eclipse is above Mecca's horizon, from first contact to last. | 10:12 PM GMT+3 greatest eclipse Totality 9:47 PM – 10:37 PM | 46° up at greatest 49m total |
| Monday, April 3, 2034 Penumbral lunar eclipse | Penumbral The whole eclipse is above Mecca's horizon, from first contact to last. | 10:05 PM GMT+3 greatest eclipse | 47° up at greatest |
| Thursday, September 28, 2034 Partial lunar eclipse | Partial The eclipse is still under way at moonset — the moon sets at about 6:14 AM, during the penumbral shading. The rest of it happens below Mecca's horizon. | 5:46 AM GMT+3 greatest eclipse Umbral 5:32 AM – 5:59 AM | 7° up at greatest |
| Sunday, August 19, 2035 Partial lunar eclipse | Partial The eclipse is still under way at moonset — the moon sets at about 6:03 AM, during the penumbral shading. The rest of it happens below Mecca's horizon. | 4:10 AM GMT+3 greatest eclipse Umbral 3:32 AM – 4:49 AM | 25° up at greatest |
| Tuesday, February 12, 2036 Total lunar eclipse | Total The whole eclipse is above Mecca's horizon, from first contact to last. | 1:11 AM GMT+3 greatest eclipse Totality 12:34 AM – 1:48 AM | 78° up at greatest 1h 15m total |
| Thursday, August 7, 2036 Total lunar eclipse | Partial The eclipse is still under way at moonset — the moon sets at about 6:00 AM, during totality. The rest of it happens below Mecca's horizon. | 5:51 AM GMT+3 greatest eclipse Totality 5:03 AM – 6:38 AM | 2° up at greatest 1h 35m total |
| Saturday, January 31, 2037 Total lunar eclipse | Partial The eclipse begins below the horizon — the moon rises over Mecca at about 6:06 PM, already in the partial phase. Everything before that happens while the moon is down. | 5:00 PM GMT+3 greatest eclipse Totality 4:28 PM – 5:32 PM | below the horizon at greatest 1h 4m total |
| Monday, July 27, 2037 Partial lunar eclipse | Partial The eclipse is still under way at moonset — the moon sets at about 5:55 AM, during the partial phase. The rest of it happens below Mecca's horizon. | 7:08 AM GMT+3 greatest eclipse Umbral 5:32 AM – 8:44 AM | below the horizon at greatest |
| Thursday, January 21, 2038 Penumbral lunar eclipse | Penumbral The eclipse is still under way at moonset — the moon sets at about 7:04 AM, during the penumbral shading. The rest of it happens below Mecca's horizon. | 6:48 AM GMT+3 greatest eclipse | 3° up at greatest |
| Thursday, June 17, 2038 Penumbral lunar eclipse | Penumbral The eclipse is still under way at moonset — the moon sets at about 5:42 AM, during the penumbral shading. The rest of it happens below Mecca's horizon. | 5:43 AM GMT+3 greatest eclipse | below the horizon at greatest |
| Saturday, December 11, 2038 Penumbral lunar eclipse | Penumbral The whole eclipse is above Mecca's horizon, from first contact to last. | 8:43 PM GMT+3 greatest eclipse | 42° up at greatest |
| Monday, June 6, 2039 Partial lunar eclipse | Partial The whole eclipse is above Mecca's horizon, from first contact to last. | 9:53 PM GMT+3 greatest eclipse Umbral 8:23 PM – 11:22 PM | 33° up at greatest |
| Wednesday, November 30, 2039 Partial lunar eclipse | Partial The eclipse begins below the horizon — the moon rises over Mecca at about 5:33 PM, already in the penumbral shading. Everything before that happens while the moon is down. | 7:55 PM GMT+3 greatest eclipse Umbral 6:12 PM – 9:38 PM | 31° up at greatest |
| Sunday, November 18, 2040 Total lunar eclipse | Total The whole eclipse is above Mecca's horizon, from first contact to last. | 10:03 PM GMT+3 greatest eclipse Totality 9:19 PM – 10:47 PM | 61° up at greatest 1h 28m total |
Reading the table. Greatest eclipse is one instant worldwide, printed on Mecca's clock — the zone abbreviation is resolved for that date, so it changes across the window wherever the clocks do. From Mecca is what the horizon leaves: a total eclipse the moon sets during is a partial one here, and the note beside it says which phase was under way. Durations are the eclipse's own, worldwide.
7 of the 38 in the catalog happen with the sun up here. Times are Asia/Riyadh, converted per eclipse.
Yes — 7 of the 38 solar eclipses catalogued between 2024 and 2040 are visible from Mecca, at least in part: August 2, 2027, June 1, 2030, May 21, 2031, March 20, 2034, January 16, 2037, January 5, 2038, July 2, 2038. Mecca is inside the path of totality on August 2, 2027, for 5m 09s.
| Date | From Mecca | Local times | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday, August 2, 2027 Total solar eclipse Every city in its path | Total The whole eclipse happens with the sun up, from first contact at 12:01 PM to last at 2:44 PM. | 1:26 PM GMT+3 greatest eclipse here Totality 1:24 PM – 1:29 PM | 100% of the sun covered 5m 09s total 75° up |
| Saturday, June 1, 2030 Annular solar eclipse | Partial The whole eclipse happens with the sun up, from first contact at 6:37 AM to last at 8:46 AM. | 7:37 AM GMT+3 greatest eclipse here | 31% of the sun covered 25° up |
| Wednesday, May 21, 2031 Annular solar eclipse | Partial The whole eclipse happens with the sun up, from first contact at 8:08 AM to last at 10:14 AM. | 9:07 AM GMT+3 greatest eclipse here | 16% of the sun covered 46° up |
| Monday, March 20, 2034 Total solar eclipse | Partial The whole eclipse happens with the sun up, from first contact at 12:37 PM to last at 3:28 PM. | 2:06 PM GMT+3 greatest eclipse here | 89% of the sun covered 58° up |
| Friday, January 16, 2037 Partial solar eclipse | Partial The whole eclipse happens with the sun up, from first contact at 12:06 PM to last at 1:57 PM. | 1:02 PM GMT+3 greatest eclipse here | 5% of the sun covered 47° up |
| Tuesday, January 5, 2038 Annular solar eclipse | Partial It begins at 5:24 PM, and the sun sets over Mecca at 5:52 PM with the eclipse still under way. | 5:52 PM GMT+3 sunset, the deepest seen | 28% of the sun covered |
| Friday, July 2, 2038 Annular solar eclipse | Partial The whole eclipse happens with the sun up, from first contact at 5:12 PM to last at 7:04 PM. | 6:11 PM GMT+3 greatest eclipse here | 41% of the sun covered 11° up |
"Covered" is the share of the sun's area the moon hides at the deepest moment seen from Mecca. A solar eclipse is only safe to look at through ISO 12312-2 filters, except during the totality of a total eclipse.
Eclipse dates and contact times come from the NASA/Espenak catalog, and everything local to Mecca — whether the moon or sun is above the horizon, how high it stands, what the horizon cuts off — is computed for 21.3891°, 39.8579° and converted to Asia/Riyadh. Nothing on this page is stamped with a build date: an eclipse is a catalogued instant, so where the shadow fell and how high the moon stood over Mecca are as fixed for 2024 as for 2040. Only the "next eclipse" panel at the top reads the clock, and it does so in your browser.
What the horizon decides. A lunar eclipse is visible from wherever the moon is up, which is half the planet — but an eclipse runs for hours and can straddle moonrise or moonset, and then only part of it is Mecca's. That is why each row carries the moon's altitude at greatest eclipse and, where it matters, which phase was under way as the moon crossed the horizon. An eclipse 70° up is overhead and unmistakable; the same eclipse a few degrees up is behind whatever Mecca has on its skyline.
How the solar rows are worked out. Each comes from NASA's Besselian elements for that eclipse, evaluated at Mecca's coordinates at sea level: when the moon's disc first touches the sun's and when it leaves, how much of the sun it covers, and — inside a path — how long totality or annularity lasts. "Covered" is the share of the sun's area, which is what decides how dark it gets; it agrees with the US Naval Observatory's own figures to within a fifth of a percentage point, and the times to within five seconds. Near the edge of a path, the last kilometre or so depends on the mountains along the moon's limb, which these figures leave out.
Safe viewing. A lunar eclipse is safe to watch with the naked eye, binoculars, or a telescope — it is only the full moon, dimmed. A solar eclipse is not: outside the brief totality of a total eclipse, looking at the sun needs ISO 12312-2 filters, and sunglasses are not filters — not even at 99% covered, when the sliver left is still bright enough to burn.
When is the next lunar eclipse visible from Mecca?
The panel at the top of this page names it, counting from today in your browser. The table below is the full record instead: all 29 lunar eclipses between 2024 and 2040 that are above Mecca's horizon, with contact times already converted to Asia/Riyadh. 7 of them are total from here.
Will a solar eclipse be visible from Mecca?
Yes — 7 of the 38 solar eclipses catalogued between 2024 and 2040 are visible from Mecca, at least in part: August 2, 2027, June 1, 2030, May 21, 2031, March 20, 2034, January 16, 2037, January 5, 2038, July 2, 2038. Mecca is inside the path of totality on August 2, 2027, for 5m 09s.
What time does the eclipse start in Mecca?
Every time on this page is Mecca local time, converted per eclipse rather than once for the page — the window spans 16 years, so the same zone reads differently in January and July and the abbreviation beside each row says which applies. A lunar eclipse begins with the faint penumbral shading (P1), bites into the disc at first umbral contact (U1) and, if it is total, goes fully dark at U2. A solar eclipse begins when the moon's disc first touches the sun's and, inside a path, turns total or annular at second contact; the solar table gives both, cut at sunrise or sunset where the horizon gets there first.
Why does Mecca see more lunar eclipses than solar ones?
Earth's shadow at the moon's distance is far larger than the moon's shadow on Earth, and a lunar eclipse is visible from the entire night side of the planet at once — so Mecca catches 29 of the 39 lunar eclipses in the window, and only 7 of the 38 solar ones. A solar eclipse throws a shadow a few thousand kilometres across at most, and its darkest part a few hundred; miss that footprint by an hour of Earth's rotation and there is nothing to see from Mecca at all.