Where will the annular solar eclipse be visible on Feb. 17?

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The 'ring of fire' eclipse on Feb. 17, 2026, will be witnessed by more penguins than people.

an adult penguin (right) and a baby penguin (left) are looking at the camera wearing solar eclipse glasses.
The first solar eclipse of 2026 will be an annular solar eclipse visible to very few people. (Image credit: Created in Canva Pro.)

The first solar eclipse of 2026 will be a dramatic annular solar eclipse on Feb. 17. The downside for most of us is that the stunning 'ring of fire' will be witnessed by more penguins than people.

Stretching 2,661 miles (4,282 kilometers) long and 383 miles (616 km) wide, the path of annularity — where the 'ring of fire' will be visible — cuts across western Antarctica and skims the Davis Sea coast of the Southern Ocean.

Path of annularity

The eclipse will rise over mainland Antarctica and set off the Davis Sea coast of the Southern Ocean.

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

Where to see the partial solar eclipse

A far greater number of people will be able to witness the partial stage of the annular solar eclipse during which the moon appears to take a 'bite' out of the sun.

Remember that it's unsafe to look directly at the sun during the partial phases of a solar eclipse. At all times, you must wear solar eclipse glasses. Read our guide on how to observe the sun safely.

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Location

Percentage of the sun's disk covered

Heard and McDonald Islands, Australia

88%

French Southern and Antarctic Lands, France

88%

Mascarene Islands, Mauritius/France

35%

Port Louis, Mauritius

32%

Saint-Denis, Reunion, France

31%

Antananarivo, Madagascar

20%

Durban, South Africa

16%

Maputo, Mozambique

13%

Maseru, Lesotho

11%

Gaborone, Botswana

4%

Harare, Zimbabwe

3%

Ushuaia, Argentina

3%

Next eclipse

Just two weeks after the annular solar eclipse, Earth will experience a total lunar eclipse on March 3-4, when Earth's shadow will turn our lunar neighbor blood red.

The blood moon will be visible for about 58 minutes across western North America, Australia, New Zealand and East Asia.

Unlike the few people who will witness the annular solar eclipse, nearly 31% of the world's population — around 2.5 billion people — will be able to see the eclipse in totality, when the moon turns blood red.

A map of where the March 2026 total lunar eclipse will be visible. (Image credit: F. Espenak, NASA's GSFC)

After the Feb. 17 'ring of fire', the next annular solar eclipse will occur on Feb. 6, 2027, and will be visible from locations in Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria.

Daisy Dobrijevic
Daisy Dobrijevic
Reference Editor

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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