Annular solar eclipse on February 17: Will ‘ring of fire’ be visible in India? Check exact time, location | Technology News
3 min readNew DelhiFeb 9, 2026 03:53 PM IST
The first major celestial event of 2026 will light up the skies this month, with a dramatic annular solar eclipse, often called a ‘ring of fire’, set to occur on Tuesday, February 17.
The annular solar eclipse will primarily be visible from Antarctica, home to two scientific research stations. It will reportedly begin on Tuesday at 07:01 UTC (12:31pm India time). Besides the icy continent, partial phases of the eclipse are expected to be visible after sunrise in parts of Argentina and South Africa. However, it will most likely go unseen for the rest of the world, including India.
The next annular solar eclipse will reportedly take place in February 2027, with the ‘ring of fire’ expected to be visible from Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Nigeria.
What is an annual solar eclipse?
An annular solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes in front of the Sun. It is different from a total solar eclipse, which plunges parts of the Earth into midday darkness. However, unlike a total solar eclipse, an annular solar eclipse does not cover the Earth completely.
Instead, a brilliant ‘ring of fire’ will typically emerge around the Moon’s silhouette. Note, annular means ring and skywatchers of the annular solar eclipse will see a partial one when viewed from either side. To be sure, it is not safe to view the annular solar eclipse with the naked eye.
The only safe way to view the eclipse is through specially designed eclipse glasses. During an annular solar eclipse, the Moon will appear slightly smaller than the Sun and will be located near apogee (its farthest point from Earth). It typically blocks 96 per cent of the center of the Sun’s disk to create a ring of fire that might last for a maximum of 2 minutes and 20 seconds, as per a report by Forbes.
When is the next eclipse?
Scientists believe that eclipses always come in pairs. Two weeks after the annular solar eclipse, a total lunar eclipse is set to unfold and will reportedly be seen across North America, including the United States.
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In 2028, another annular solar eclipse will take place that will be seen from Galápagos Islands, mainland Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Suriname, French Guiana, Morocco, and Spain. January 2030 will also witness an annular solar eclipse that might be viewed from Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Greece, Turkey, Russia, Kazakhstan, China, and Japan.
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