Annular 'ring of fire' solar eclipse February 2026: Live updates

The next solar eclipse will be on Feb. 17, 2026. Here's what you need to know.

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a ring of fire annular solar eclipse appearing as a golden yellow ring of light against a black background. in the top right corner there is a little graphic with "live" written in white text on a red background.
(Image: © Paul Souders via Getty Images / Live graphic added in Canva Pro)

The next solar eclipse will be an annular solar eclipse on Feb. 17, 2026.

During an annular solar eclipse, the moon covers a majority of the sun, leaving a distinct ring of light, hence the nickname 'ring of fire' eclipse.

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The edge of the sun is visible around the silhouette of the moon during an eclipse, forming a burning ring behind a veil of thin clouds.

(Image credit: Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)

We're just one week away from the first solar eclipse of 2026! Here's what you need to know before a dramatic "ring of fire" annular eclipse darkens the sky over Antarctica on Feb. 17, likely confusing millions of penguins.

Read more: 1 week until an annular solar eclipse turns the sun into a 'ring of fire' over Antarctica

Countdown begins: Feb. 17’s annular solar eclipse is just over a week away

'Ring of fire' phase of an annular eclipse of the sun, as seen from Klamath County, Oregon, on October 14, 2023.

The 'ring of fire' phase captured during an annular solar eclipse on Oct. 14, 2023 from Oregon, U.S. (Image credit: Philip Yabut via Getty Images)

We're just over a week away from the first solar eclipse of 2026! An annular solar eclipse will take place on Feb. 17, 2026. During this dramatic event, the moon will slide in front of the sun but won't cover it completely, leaving a glowing 'ring of fire' around the edges. That dramatic view will only be visible from a remote part of Antarctica, where up to 96% of the sun will be eclipsed for a little over 2 minutes — meaning very few people on Earth will witness annularity in person.

More people will see a partial solar eclipse, with the moon covering a smaller portion of the sun across Antarctica, parts of southern Africa and the southern tip of South America.

To find out more, check out our annular solar eclipse 2026 guide.

A woman holding solar binoculars and smiling during a partial solar eclipse.
Daisy Dobrijevic

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