Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. Behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom. The earth quaked and the rocks were split. The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection, they entered into the holy city and appeared to many.
Three hours of darkness covered an entire land during a specific execution.
Astronomy
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The cited passage
What current science says
If darkness covered the land for three hours, millions would have witnessed it. Roman historians, astronomers, and writers throughout the empire would have recorded such an extraordinary event — but none did. A solar eclipse lasts only about 7 minutes at most, not hours, and can't cover 'all the land.'
What the text says
Matthew 27:45 says that when Jesus was crucified 'there was darkness over all the land' for about three hours - describing a region-wide darkness during the crucifixion.
Three honest ways to read this passage
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As history
The text records how its authors understood the world with the knowledge they had. Read this way, a difference from modern science is a window into the ancient mind, not a failure.
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As accommodation
The text speaks to its first audience in their own terms, to make a point that isn't mainly about physics or biology. Read this way, the scientific detail is the vehicle, not the cargo.
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As contradiction
The text makes a claim about the physical world that modern findings dispute. Read this way, the difference is a genuine factual disagreement worth naming.
GEBible doesn't pick one of these for you. Each entry shows the passage, what it says, and what current science says — nothing more.