Annular solar eclipse creates 'ring of fire' over Antarctica

An annular solar eclipse occurred over Antarctica

On February 17, an annular solar eclipse created a "ring of fire" in the skies over Antarctica. The event was visible to a handful of researchers and a large population of penguins on the frozen continent.

The moon passed between Earth and the sun, covering about 96% of the sun's disk. This left a thin, bright outer ring of sunlight visible for up to 2 minutes and 20 seconds at the point of greatest eclipse.

The path was remote and narrow

The path of annularity was a corridor roughly 2,661 miles long and 383 miles wide. Only a very small, remote region of Antarctica fell within this path where the full "ring of fire" effect was visible.

Viewers elsewhere in Antarctica, along with parts of southern Africa and the southernmost tip of South America, saw only a partial solar eclipse. The spectacle was captured by satellites, which imaged the moon's shadow darkening the ice below.

How an annular eclipse works

An annular solar eclipse occurs when the moon is too far from Earth in its elliptical orbit to completely cover the sun. This results in the characteristic ring, or annulus, of sunlight around the moon's silhouette.

It is distinct from a total solar eclipse, where the moon appears large enough to completely block the sun's face, plunging the path into temporary darkness.

Viewing solar eclipses requires strict safety

It is never safe to look directly at the sun without proper protection. Observing any solar eclipse requires specialized solar filters to prevent serious eye injury.

• Viewers must wear certified solar eclipse glasses.
• Cameras, telescopes, and binoculars need solar filters placed over their lenses.
• The dangers are identical for both partial and annular eclipses.

Our guide on how to observe the sun safely details all necessary precautions for solar viewing.

More eclipses are on the horizon

The next major solar eclipse will be a total solar eclipse on August 12, 2026. Its path of totality will cross parts of Greenland, Iceland, and northern Spain.

A broader partial eclipse will be visible across Europe and Africa. Before that, a total lunar eclipse will occur on March 3, 2026, visible from North America, Australia, New Zealand, East Asia, and the Pacific.