Annular eclipse in Antarctica produced a rare 'ring of fire' seen by few

An annular solar eclipse created a visible 'ring of fire' over Antarctica on Feb. 17, 2026, with the Concordia Research Station providing a rare ground-based view; peak annularity lasted about two minutes and partial phases spanned roughly two hours.

An annular solar eclipse produced a 'ring of fire' over Antarctica on Feb. 17, 2026. The narrow path of annularity crossed only a small slice of the continent, and the Concordia Research Station offered one of the rare ground-based views. Peak annularity occurred at 7:47 p.m. local time and lasted about two minutes. Spacecraft such as Proba-2 also observed the event from orbit. Key details: - Date and type: Feb. 17, 2026 — annular solar eclipse. - Ground view: Observed from Concordia Research Station, which sits over 680 miles (1,100 kilometers) inland and near 10,500 feet (3,200 meters) altitude. - Peak timing: Peak annularity at 7:47 p.m. local time (6:47 a.m. EST / 1247 GMT), lasting about two minutes. - Duration: The border eclipse, including partial phases, spanned roughly two hours. - Visibility: The narrow path of annularity crossed only a small slice of Antarctica, so only a handful of people on Earth saw the full ring. - Orbital observation: Spacecraft Proba-2 captured the eclipse from orbit. Summary: The event provided a rare ground-based perspective of an annular eclipse at an isolated Antarctic station while orbital assets also recorded the phenomenon. Undetermined at this time.