Annular solar eclipse turns the sun into a dramatic 'ring of fire' today! Here's what you need to know

a ring of light around a black orb - this is an annular solar eclipse close up. — Annular solar eclipse captured on Oct. 14, 2023. (Image credit: Alan Dyer/Stocktrek Images via Getty Images)

Today (Feb. 17), an annular solar eclipse will commence its journey across a remote region of Antarctica where it will be visible to more penguins than people. The partial solar eclipse portion of the event will be visible to observers in parts of southern Africa and the southern tip of South America.

You can keep up with the latest eclipse news with our annular solar eclipse live blog, which will be updated throughout the event.

During a solar eclipse, the moon passes between the sun and Earth, casting a lunar shadow upon our planet. The moon's orbit around Earth is slightly elliptical; sometimes it's farther from Earth, sometimes it's closer. During an annular solar eclipse, the moon is relatively far from Earth and does not fully cover the sun's disk as we see during a total solar eclipse. Instead, it produces a distinct ring of light in the sky, the "ring of fire".

Map showing path of the annular solar eclipse on Feb. 17, 2026 over Antarctica. — The path of the annular solar eclipse on Feb. 17, 2026. (Image credit: Michael Zeiler/EclipseAtlas.com)

When can we next see a solar eclipse?

The next solar eclipse visible to more people than penguins will be a total solar eclipse on Aug. 12, 2026.

The total solar eclipse will be visible in Greenland, western Iceland, and northern Spain, bringing a maximum of 2 minutes and 18 seconds of totality, the day before the peak of the annual Perseid meteor shower.

If you're looking for some inspiration for planning an eclipse 2026 trip, check out our roundup of the best cruises for the total solar eclipse 2026 and the 16 best places to view the total solar eclipse 2026.

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Daisy Dobrijevic joined Space.com in February 2022 having previously worked for our sister publication All About Space magazine as a staff writer. Before joining us, Daisy completed an editorial internship with the BBC Sky at Night Magazine and worked at the National Space Centre in Leicester, U.K., where she enjoyed communicating space science to the public. In 2021, Daisy completed a PhD in plant physiology and also holds a Master's in Environmental Science, she is currently based in Nottingham, U.K. Daisy is passionate about all things space, with a penchant for solar activity and space weather. She has a strong interest in astrotourism and loves nothing more than a good northern lights chase!

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