On February 17, the world will witness the first solar eclipse of the year, an annular eclipse that will create a stunning phenomenon known as the "ring of fire".
The first solar eclipse of 2026: Where will you see the "ring of fire" on February 17
The path of the annular eclipse, where the "ring of fire" is complete, stretches for 4,282 kilometers and crosses western Antarctica, passing along the Davis Sea coast in the Southern Ocean. This means that most of those who will witness this rare phenomenon will be penguins, not humans.
The good news is that the partial phase of the eclipse will be visible to a larger number of people, as the sun will appear partially obscured by the moon in wide areas including all of Antarctica, Southeast Africa, the southernmost tip of South America, and parts of the Pacific, Indian, Atlantic, and Southern Oceans.
During the partial phase of the eclipse, the percentage of the sun's disk covered will vary depending on the location. The highest coverage, 88%, will be observed in Australia's Heard and McDonald Islands, as well as in the French Southern and Antarctic Territories.
In the Indian Ocean, the percentage is 35% in the Mascarene Islands, 32% in Port Louis, the capital of Mauritius, and 31% in Saint-Denis, the capital of Reunion.
In Madagascar, the rate reaches 20% in the capital, Antananarivo. In South Africa, Durban records 16%. Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, is 13%, and Maseru, the capital of Lesotho, is 11%.
The percentages drop even further in Gaborone, the capital of Botswana, to 4%, down to 3% in Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe, and the same percentage in Ushuaia at the southernmost tip of Argentina.
It is important to note that looking directly at the sun during an eclipse is unsafe, even during a partial eclipse. Special eclipse glasses are essential to avoid eye damage.
Just two weeks later, from March 3rd to 4th, Earth's skies will witness a total lunar eclipse. During this event, the moon will turn a blood-red color, and the spectacle will last for approximately 58 minutes. It will be visible in western North America, Australia, New Zealand, and eastern Asia. This time, luck will be on humanity's side, as around 2.5 billion people—31% of the world's population—will be able to witness the total lunar eclipse.
The next annular eclipse will be on February 6, 2027, and will be visible to residents of Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, as well as Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, and Ivory Coast.
