An annular photo voltaic eclipse will happen on Feb. 6, 2027, when the moon’s cone-shaped central shadow is not going to fairly attain Earth. The outcome will likely be a ‘ring of fireside’ seen to these inside a broad path throughout southern Chile, Argentina and coastal elements of West Africa.
On the level of best eclipse within the Pacific, the moon will cowl 93% of the solar’s disk, leaving a comparatively giant brilliant ring seen for 7 minutes and 51 seconds. That makes it one of many longest annular photo voltaic eclipses this decade.
Throughout an annular photo voltaic eclipse, it’s NEVER protected to look straight at the sun without solar eclipse glasses designed for solar viewing. Read our guide on how to observe the sun safely.
This annular solar eclipse has a long and broad path, rising southwest of Easter Island (Rapa Nui) in the south Pacific Ocean and setting in the Gulf of Guinea, West Africa.
That journey is 9,011 miles (14,501 kilometers), with the path between 180-220 miles (289-355 km) wide. The path of annularity crosses southern parts of Chile, Argentina, Uruguay and (a tiny sliver of) Brazil in South America. After crossing the Atlantic, the northern edge of the path just makes land in the Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria.
The Path of Annularity: South America
Eclipse chasers wanting to observe annularity high in the sky while on land should head to Chile or Argentina, with the latter having a better chance of a clear sky. The path crosses northern Patagonia, a region of wide skies, low population, and — crucially in February — a generally favorable climate.
As it reaches Chile’s Pacific coast, the “ring of fire” will sit around 50° above the northeast, but this region of mountains and fjords is both logistically challenging and likely cloudy. Average February cloud cover along the centerline in Chile is typically around 65%, while just across the mountains in a classic rain-shadow zone in Argentina’s Patagonian plains, cloud cover drops to as low as 30%, according to meteorologist Jay Anderson on Eclipsophile.com.
Standout areas within the rain-shadow embrace El Maitén (which is being favored by eclipse tour teams), Esquel and Trevelin, the place annularity happens simply earlier than noon. There is a equally small likelihood of cloud on Argentina’s Atlantic coast, with potential observing areas together with Las Grutas on the San Matias Gulf and, south of Buenos Aires, the luxurious Laguna La Brava.
Though the trail brushes Uruguay (simply lacking Montevideo), and nicks Brazil (simply lacking Rio de Janeiro), as soon as the centerline of the trail of annularity leaves Argentina, it does not make landfall once more.
The Path of Annularity: Africa
After crossing the South Atlantic, the path of annularity makes its final landfall in West Africa, reaching Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria.
Here, the eclipse unfolds late in the day, with the “ring of fire” hanging low in the western sky as it approaches the horizon. At Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, the sun will be 7.7° above west-southwest just 30 minutes before sunset, though a potentially orange-golden “ring of fire” will last for just a fleeting moment. Other potential observing locations include Cape of Three Points in Ghana for a long annular phase just six degrees above the horizon, as well as the capital city, Accra, where it’s just four degrees up. Lomé in Togo, Cotonou in Benin and Lagos in Nigeria will see the annular phase moments before sunset.
Although statistics show cumulus cloud cover in this region to be common, much of it dissipates by late afternoon, according to Anderson, with sea-breeze winds from the Atlantic — as well as “eclipse cooling” — potentially helping. As such, there’s around a 90% chance of a clear sky in this region for a spectacular sunset “ring of fire.” A much bigger problem, however, could come from Saharan dust, with reduced clarity likely.
Why does the 2027 ‘ring of fire’ last so long?
The Feb. 6, 2027 annular solar eclipse is unusually long, with its maximum phase lasting up to 7 minutes 51 seconds just off the coast of Brazil — far longer than most annular eclipses, and significantly longer than the totality phase during a total solar eclipse.
The reason is geometry. Annular eclipses happen when the moon is near apogee, its farthest point from Earth, making it appear slightly too small to cover the sun. Instead of a brief blackout, the moon takes longer to cross the sun’s face, leaving a bright ring visible throughout. The moon reaches apogee three days before Feb. 6, 2027.
That duration is extended because Earth is near perihelion in early January, when the sun appears marginally larger than average. A smaller apparent moon and a larger apparent sun combine to lengthen the event.
Even so, 2027 is not a record-breaker. Under a near-perfect alignment, annularity can theoretically last up to about 12 minutes and 29 seconds. The longest this century occurred on Jan. 15, 2010, when the ring of fire persisted for just over 11 minutes.
Additional resources
Want to look further ahead? You can find a concise summary of solar eclipses out to 2030 on NASA’s eclipse website. Learn extra about photo voltaic and lunar eclipses on EclipseWise.com, an internet site devoted to predictions of eclipses. See lovely maps on eclipse cartographer Michael Zeiler’s GreatAmericanEclipse.com and interactive Google Maps on Xavier Jubier’s eclipse web site. You will discover local weather and climate predictions by meteorologist Jay Anderson on eclipsophile.com.
Bibliography
Anderson, J. Annular Photo voltaic Eclipse February 6, 2027. Retrieved Could 5, 2026, from https://eclipsophile.com/ase-2027/
Bakich, M. and Zeiler, M. (2022). Atlas Of Photo voltaic Eclipses 2020-2045.
Espenak, F. Photo voltaic Eclipse Prime Web page: Annular Photo voltaic Eclipse of 2027 Feb 06. Retrieved Could 5, 2026, from: https://eclipsewise.com/oh/ec2027.html#SE2027Feb06A
Jubier, X. (n.d.). Photo voltaic eclipses: Interactive Google Maps. Retrieved Could 5, 2026, from http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/SolarEclipsesGoogleMaps.html
Time and Date. (n.d.). 17 February 2026 Annular Photo voltaic Eclipse. Retrieved Could 5, 2026, from https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/solar/2026-february-17
Associated: What is the distinction between a complete photo voltaic eclipse and an annular photo voltaic eclipse?