On February 17, 2026, the sky will give us one of those astronomical phenomena that seem taken from another world: an annular solar eclipse, popularly known as the “ring of fire.” This type of eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, but is too far away to completely cover it. The result is a dark lunar disk surrounded by a bright ring of sunlight.like a burning ring suspended in the sky, a landscape taken from the universe of Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings.
What makes this event so special are the proportions. In a total solar eclipse, the Moon completely covers the Sun and the day becomes dark as if it were night. In an annular eclipse, however, the Moon appears smaller because it is farther away in its orbit. When it is placed in front of the Sun, it fails to completely obscure it, so the edge of the Sun is still visible around the lunar disk. That luminous corona is precisely the “ring of fire”, a vision less dark than a totality, but just as hypnotic.
This eclipse is the first of the year 2026, and marks the beginning of an intense season of celestial events that also will include a total lunar eclipse shortly after and another solar eclipse later in the year.
Although the phenomenon is global in an astronomical sense, its real visibility will be very limited. The full ring, the phase in which the Moon leaves only a bright edge of the Sun, will be visible only from remote areas of Antarctica, mainly near scientific stations such as Concordia and Mirnywhere scientists will have the privilege of witnessing the spectacle in the front row.
In more accessible regions, several countries in the southern hemisphere will see the eclipse partially. This includes parts of the southern tip of South America, such as southern Chile and Argentina, areas of southeastern Africa, Madagascar, Mauritius, and islands in the Indian Ocean and South Atlantic.
However, for the majority of the world’s population, the annular eclipse will not be visible in its entirety, and a partial obscuration of the Sun can only be observed if sky conditions allow it. According to astronomical calculations, the eclipse It will begin with its partial phase shortly before 10:56 peninsular time, while the maximum point, the moment in which the ring of fire forms, will be reached around 1:11 p.m.although the total duration of all phases of the eclipse will last more than four hours.
Although the February 17 eclipse stays mainly in Antarctica, this year it will offer the opportunity to see, in the front row, one of the most anticipated eclipses: the total solar eclipse of August 12. That day, Spain will have a privileged view of the event. According to the Military Geographic Institute, “the strip of totality of this eclipse will cross Spain from west to east and will pass through numerous provincial capitals from From Coruña to Palma, including Oviedo, León, Bilbao, Zaragoza and València. Spain is located at the end of the strip of totality, so this will happen when the Sun is setting very close to the horizon. “This will force us to observe the eclipse from a place with good visibility to the west.”
But there will be more. After the eclipse of August 2026, The next visible total solar eclipse in Spain will take place on August 2, 2027. Thus, the coming years will be a unique opportunity in terms of astronomy.