Monday 2 August 2027. In southern Spain totality happens between 10:44 and 10:52 in the morning, local time (CEST, UTC+2). The partial phase begins about an hour earlier and ends a little over an hour later.

Across all of Ceuta and Melilla, and in 115 municipalities in Andalusia: 58 in Malaga, 31 in Cadiz, 16 in Granada and 10 in Almeria. Cadiz and Malaga are the only provincial capitals inside the path of totality. Gibraltar is also inside the path.

Ceuta, with around 4 minutes 48 seconds of totality, is the longest in Spanish territory. On the mainland the best area is the Campo de Gibraltar: Algeciras gets close to four and a half minutes, and Tarifa gets over four and a half with an open sea horizon. Gibraltar itself sees about 4 minutes 27 seconds.

It depends on how close you are to the centre of the path. It ranges from almost 4 minutes 50 seconds in Ceuta down to just over a minute in edge towns. Malaga city, near the northern limit, gets under two minutes. Outside the path there is no totality at all, only a partial eclipse.

Yes. Throughout the entire partial phase you must use eclipse glasses certified to ISO 12312-2. You can only take them off during the exact minutes of totality, when the solar disc is completely covered, and you must put them back on the instant the first flash of Sun reappears.

Exceptionally good. It is one of the longest total eclipses of the 21st century, the Sun sits high in the sky at around 40°, and early August in southern Spain and North Africa is one of the most reliably cloud-free combinations of date and place anywhere on the planet. Logistics in Spain are straightforward, which is not always the case for long eclipses.

After 2027 there is an annular eclipse on 26 January 2028, where the Sun becomes a ring of light, but the next total solar eclipse visible from mainland Spain is not until 2053.

Yes. The eclipse falls in the middle of August, when the Spanish coast is already at peak season, and the path of totality is narrow. In recent eclipses elsewhere, accommodation inside the path sold out more than a year ahead and prices multiplied several times over.

Between 37° and 41° above the horizon depending on where you are, which is comfortably high. That is a real advantage: you do not need a clear horizon towards the Sun, so almost any spot without a building directly overhead will work. What does help is a wide view all around, because during totality the horizon glows in all 360°.

East-southeast, with the Sun at roughly 95° azimuth and fairly high up. At mid-morning in August the Sun sits in that part of the sky, so face towards sunrise and look up.

No. Sunglasses, even category 4 ones, let through thousands of times more light than the eye can tolerate when looking directly at the Sun. Only filters certified to ISO 12312-2 are safe.

Yes, and it is the only moment when you should: during totality the solar disc is completely covered and the corona is only visible to the naked eye. The instant the first point of light reappears, the filter goes straight back on.

Pointing a phone camera at the Sun without a filter can damage the sensor during the partial phase, and looking at the screen does not protect your eyes if you glance at the Sun. The partial phase needs a solar filter in front of the lens; during totality you can shoot without one.

They must be printed with a reference to ISO 12312-2 and an identifiable manufacturer. With them on you should see absolutely nothing except the filament of a very bright bulb or the Sun itself. If you can make out shapes in the room, they are not safe. Be wary of unbranded glasses sold loose in the days before.

The filter material does not expire on its own, but it does get damaged. The practical rule is to discard any pair with scratches, pinholes, creases in the filter, or a filter coming away from the frame. If in doubt, do not use them: they cost very little and a retina cannot be replaced.

Yes, with supervision. One adult per small child during the partial phase is sensible, because the glasses slip. For very young children, projecting the Sun through a kitchen colander or a card with a pinhole is a completely risk-free alternative.