On Aug. 2, 2027, the path of totality will cross southern Tunisia, bringing a total solar eclipse to several locations used in the Star Wars films. Depending on the site, darkness will last from just over two minutes to four minutes. Other familiar settings, including the Lars Homestead at Hotel Sidi Idriss, will lie outside the path and see a partial eclipse instead.
Near Tozeur, the Eriguet dunes served as the Mos Espa spaceport in The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones. Totality is due to begin there at 10:06 a.m. CET and last 2 minutes, 9 seconds. The site is also close to Ong Jemel and Yardang, which were used for other scenes in the films. Historical cloud-cover data cited for the dunes puts the chance of clouds at 2%.
Maguer Gorge, also known as Star Wars Canyon, doubled as the Jundland Wastes in A New Hope. The eclipse is expected to reach totality there at 10:06 a.m. CET for 3 minutes, 37 seconds; the reported historical chance of clouds is 1%. The canyon is where Luke encounters Tusken Raiders and meets Obi-Wan Kenobi, among other scenes.
On Djerba, the town of Ajim provided several settings for Mos Eisley, including a Stormtrooper checkpoint and the exterior of the Cantina. Totality is expected to start at 10:10 a.m. CET and last 3 minutes, 55 seconds. Nearby, the Amghar Mosque, originally a fisherman’s house, stood in for Obi-Wan’s home. There, totality is forecast to begin at 10:09 a.m. CET and last four minutes. Both locations have a historical cloud-cover chance of 19%.
Tunisia’s Star Wars sites are spread across the south. Tozeur is a base for trips to Mos Espa and Jebel Sidi Bouhlel, while Djerba offers several filming locations. Tours commonly connect Tozeur with Matmata and Djerba. A special eclipse tour to the Mos Espa set was reported sold out.
Travelers seeking the longest totality in Tunisia can look beyond the film locations: the eclipse is expected to last 5 minutes, 41 seconds in Sfax and around 5 minutes, 39 seconds in the Kerkennah Islands. Other options include Sidi Bouzid, with about 5 minutes, 33 seconds, and El Jem, where totality is forecast to last 4 minutes, 23 seconds.
Sources: Space.com.