Annular solar eclipse of 17 February 2026

Where to see the ring of fire

The ring of fire crosses Antarctica. Southern Argentina, Chile and southern Africa see a partial eclipse.

Outside the path, Southern Argentina, Chile and southern Africa see a partial eclipse. The Moon takes a bite out of the Sun there, bigger the closer you are to the path.

NASA's interactive map shows the edges of the path down to the street, with the times for any spot you click.

What is happening

The Moon passes in front of the Sun when it is near the far point of its orbit and looks slightly smaller than the Sun, so it cannot cover all of it. A ring of bright sunlight, the ring of fire, stays around the Moon's dark disc.

The light dims and cools a little, and the spots of light under trees turn into hundreds of small rings. The sky never goes dark, and the ring is far too bright to look at, so eclipse glasses stay on the whole time.

How to watch safely

• Wear eclipse glasses that meet the ISO 12312-2 standard for every moment the Sun is even partly visible. Sunglasses, however dark, are not safe.
• Never look through binoculars, a telescope or a camera without a proper solar filter on the front. Glasses behind the eyepiece do not protect you; the optics burn through them.
• A pinhole projector works anywhere: a small hole in card throws an image of the Sun onto paper behind it. A colander or the gaps between leaves do the same.
• There is no safe moment without glasses: even at the deepest point a ring or crescent of the Sun is still showing.
• Damage to the eye from the Sun does not hurt while it happens, which is why the rules are strict.

See it in 3D

The Moon’s shadow crossing the Earth on the day, drawn by our 3D viewer from the real positions of the Sun, the Moon and the Earth, with the umbra and penumbra at their true size. Press play to load it here, then play, pause and scrub through the eclipse, or open it in the full viewer.

Load the eclipse in 3D

Open this eclipse in the 3D viewer →

Get a reminder

We email you a day or two before, with the time. Leave your email once and we send a code to confirm it; nothing else arrives unless you ask for it.

Questions

What time is the annular solar eclipse on 17 February 2026?

Greatest eclipse is at 12:11 UTC. The exact times depend on where you stand, and this page shows them in your own time zone at the top.

Is it safe to look at?

Never without protection: use ISO 12312-2 eclipse glasses or a pinhole projector for the whole eclipse, and never look through binoculars, a telescope or a camera without a solar filter on the front.

When is the next solar eclipse after this one?

Total solar eclipse, 12 August 2026, seen from Greenland, Iceland, Spain.

More in the sky

Every eclipse, meteor shower and planet at opposition, or the whole calendar. Tonight's planets are on what is visible tonight.

Sources

• NASA Eclipse Web Site: the annular solar eclipse of 17 February 2026
• NASA: interactive map of the path
• NASA: path table, with times and durations along the centre line
• NASA: eclipse safety
• American Astronomical Society: solar eclipse eye safety
• The times and positions on this page come from our own sky calendar, built on the sources above, the same one the 3D viewer runs on.