This is a dated 2026 observing guide. Check the source calendar and local conditions before making plans; future years need a fresh forecast.
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Protect your eyes first
For direct viewing of the Sun, use an intact, properly made solar viewer that complies with ISO 12312-2. Follow its instructions. Ordinary sunglasses are not safe solar filters. Inspect viewers for damage and supervise children. The American Astronomical Society’s safety guide explains the method and links to reputable suppliers.
Never look through an unfiltered telescope, binoculars or camera viewfinder while wearing eclipse glasses. Concentrated sunlight can damage the viewer and injure your eyes. Optical equipment requires a suitable solar filter secured over the Sun-facing aperture; seek expert guidance before using it.
An annular eclipse has no safe direct-view exception. The Sun’s bright ring is never fully covered, so proper eye protection stays on for the entire event. Read the full solar eclipse safety guide before this date.
When it happens
NASA’s eclipse catalog places greatest eclipse at 16:00 UTC on February 6, 2027. That instant falls in the early afternoon across South America and the early evening across West Africa. Convert it to your own clock and check the Sun’s height before making plans.
The Moon is new that day, as it must be for any solar eclipse. There is no Moon in the evening sky either side of the event; that part of the calendar is unremarkable.
An annular eclipse happens because the Moon is slightly farther from Earth than average at that moment. Its disk then looks too small to fully cover the Sun. A ring of sunlight remains around it at greatest eclipse.
Where the ring is visible
NASA describes the path of annularity crossing parts of South America and Africa. Named countries include Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria. Broad surrounding regions of South America, Africa, Antarctica, the South Pacific and the South Atlantic see a partial eclipse instead.
Being in one of those countries does not guarantee the ring itself. The path of annularity is a narrow band; most of each named country sees only a partial eclipse. Check a detailed path map for your exact town before traveling.
A hill, building or low horizon can hide an eclipse that is geometrically visible from your coordinates. Weather, especially cloud cover, is the harder variable and needs checking close to the date.
What a ring of fire actually looks like
Through a safe solar viewer, the Sun narrows to a crescent. It then thins to a complete ring of light with the Moon’s dark disk centered inside it. The ring lasts a few minutes at any one spot, depending on exact position along the path.
Outside the path of annularity, viewers see an ordinary partial eclipse instead. It is a bite taken out of the Sun’s disk, never a complete ring. The percentage covered depends on distance from the center line.
A pinhole projector shows the same crescent or ring shape projected onto a card or the ground. You look at the projected image, never through the hole at the Sun. Practice the technique beforehand using the AAS guidance.
The next chance
The next total solar eclipse after this one crosses southern Spain, North Africa and the Middle East. It falls on August 2, 2027, less than six months later. Read the total eclipse guide for that path and date.
Annular and total eclipses each follow their own irregular schedule, tied to the Moon’s distance and orbital alignment. There is no fixed yearly repeat to promise for any one location.
Sources and image credits
- NASA: future eclipses. Path of annularity and the named countries it crosses, fetched 8 September 2026.
- NASA: eclipses during 2027. 16:00 UT greatest-eclipse instant, fetched 8 September 2026.
- American Astronomical Society: eclipse eye safety. Direct and indirect viewing methods; annular eclipses have no unfiltered-viewing exception.
Written for beginners from the sources above. How we research and correct the library. Found an error? Tell us.