Astronomers will be able to observe the annular solar eclipse which will be visible from a remote part of Antarctica, forming a “ring of fire” for 2 minutes and 20 seconds, while 96% of the center of the sun is eclipsed by the moon. The event is particularly historic because it coincides with a total solar eclipse visible in parts of Europe.
Observers in the rest of Antarctica, including those aboard passenger ships on end-of-season tours, will see a partial solar eclipse, as will people in parts of southern Africa and the southern tip of South America.
The path of the February 17 annular solar eclipse will be limited to a remote region of Antarctica, so the event will not be visible to almost any humans.
Regarding the event, eclipse meteorologist Jay Anderson wrote on his website: “It is possible that only a few people will observe this eclipse from the annular zone. » “It is a challenge to reach and there are only two inhabited places in the ring shadow, neither of which are set up to accommodate tourists,” he added.
Mid-February will near the end of the Antarctic vacation cruise season, but a well-timed trip to the Antarctic Peninsula could offer an intriguing view of a partial solar eclipse.
On February 17, the best observation site on earth is expected to be a joint French-Italian research station opened in 2005 and which currently hosts only 16 scientists.
The path of the annularity of the Feb. 17 annular solar eclipse — where the Ring of Fire will be clearly visible — is approximately 2,661 miles long and 383 miles wide.
The eclipse will rise above continental Antarctica and begin off the coast of the Davis Sea in the Southern Ocean. The 2026 solar eclipse provides a unique opportunity to view the Sun’s photosphere in a “ring of fire” alignment.
