A rare annular eclipse began on Earth on February 17, the first of two in 2026. At 13:06 Moscow time, the Moon's penumbra fell on Antarctica. This was reported by the press service of the Solar Astronomy Laboratory of the IKI and ISZF.
In about 1.5 hours, at 14:44 Moscow time, the Moon will completely connect with the Sun and form a ring of fire in the sky, which a maximum of several dozen people on Earth will be able to see.
The unusual event will be observed at the Russian Mirny station (located in East Antarctica, on Queen Mary Land) and the Australian Davis station, where the phase will be almost maximal.
The peak of the eclipse will occur at 15:13 Moscow time. The maximum phase will last 2 minutes 19 seconds. The duration of the entire event will be 4.5 hours.