First solar eclipse of 2026 crosses Antarctica on Tuesday

An annular solar eclipse will pass across Antarctica on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, with annularity touching only a narrow 616‑kilometer track on the continent and partial views reaching parts of southern South America, southern Africa and Madagascar.

An annular solar eclipse will occur on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, with the Moon’s antumbral shadow grazing the edge of the Antarctic continent. This event marks the start of the first eclipse season of 2026 and is notable because annularity touches solid ground only in Antarctica while much of the visible track lies over ocean. The Moon was near apogee on February 10 and the Earth passed perihelion on January 3, factors that contribute to the eclipse appearing annular rather than total. Scientific interest also notes that annular eclipses are becoming more common over geological time as the Moon slowly recedes from Earth. Eclipse details: - The annular track across Earth is about 616 kilometres wide and annularity begins over central Antarctica at 11:43 Universal Time (UT). - Maximum annularity occurs at 12:11 UT and lasts about 2 minutes and 20 seconds; the antumbral shadow departs Earth at 12:41 UT over the southern Indian Ocean. - The penumbral (partial) phases begin at 09:58 UT off the southern tip of South America and end at 14:28 UT off the coast of Madagascar. - Two occupied Antarctic stations—ESA’s Concordia Research Station and Russia’s Mirny Station—lie along the annular track and have the best chance for ground-based human observation. - Partial coverage for populated regions is small: Cape Town sees about a 5% partial eclipse, Tierra del Fuego about 2%, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands less than 1%, and southeastern Madagascar up to about 40%. - The event is member 61 of saros series 121; space-based imaging (for example full-disk weather satellites) is likely to capture the shadow crossing the Southern Ocean. Summary: The annular solar eclipse on February 17 will produce a narrow "ring of fire" over parts of Antarctica while producing only slight partial phases for nearby populated regions. Observations from Antarctic stations or from satellites are likely to record the event, and this eclipse is followed within the same eclipse season by a total lunar eclipse on March 3, 2026; a separate eclipse season later in 2026 includes a total solar eclipse on August 12, 2026.