The Moon handed instantly between the Solar and Earth on 17 February 2026, creating an annular photo voltaic eclipse. As a result of the Moon was at a extra distant level alongside its elliptical orbit round Earth, it did not solely cowl the Solar and left a ‘ring of fireplace’.
The European House Company’s (ESA) Proba-2 satellite tv for pc captured this ring from its viewpoint in area. Flying round Earth, the spacecraft witnessed the identical photo voltaic eclipse a minimum of 4 occasions, together with this excellent ring of fireplace at 11:31 Common Time. The photographs had been taken by the spacecraft’s SWAP excessive ultraviolet imager, at a wavelength of 17.4 nanometres. Learn the Proba-2 Science Middle weblog submit concerning the eclipse here.
On Earth, this uncommon deal with was solely seen from Antarctica. A partial photo voltaic eclipse might be seen from the southern tip of Chile and Argentina, in addition to southern Africa.
Upcoming photo voltaic eclipses will likely be seen from extra populated areas. ESA is trying ahead to a few ‘European eclipses’ within the subsequent two years: a complete photo voltaic eclipse on 12 August 2026 (totality seen from Greenland, Iceland, Spain); a complete photo voltaic eclipse on 2 August 2027 (southern tip of Spain, northern Africa & the Center East); and an annular eclipse on 26 January 2028 (South America, Portugal, Spain).
Bear in mind: by no means look instantly on the Solar, even when partially eclipsed, with out correct eye safety equivalent to particular photo voltaic eclipse glasses, otherwise you danger everlasting eye harm.
