An annular solar eclipse will occur on February 17, 2026, RIA Novosti was told at the Perm Planetarium.
The phenomenon will begin at 15:10 Moscow time and will be visible from Antarctica, Chile, Argentina and South Africa. It will not be possible to observe the eclipse from the territory of Russia.
Planetarium lecturer Vitaly Frantsev explained that the "ring of fire" is formed when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, being near the apogee - the point of greatest distance from our planet. In this position, its visible diameter is smaller than the solar diameter, so the satellite does not completely cover the disk, leaving a shining ring of light around the edges. If the Moon is closer, at perigee, a total solar eclipse is observed.
Annular eclipses are a rare phenomenon that can only be observed in a narrow strip on the Earth's surface. For residents of the Southern Hemisphere, the upcoming event will be the main astronomical moment of winter: it will complete the 2026 eclipse season and will be one of the few passing over Antarctica.
