The annular solar eclipse begins with first contact at 09:55 UTC on February 17, as the Moon’s penumbral shadow first touches Earth over the Southern Ocean. The “ring of fire” phase starts at 10:46 UTC when the Moon’s antumbral shadow reaches Antarctica, tracking across the continent’s interior for nearly two hours before departing at 12:41 UTC. The entire event spans 4 hours and 31 minutes, concluding at 14:27 UTC as the Moon’s shadow lifts from Earth.
The greatest eclipse occurs at 12:11:54 UTC at geographic coordinates 64°43.0′S, 86°45.2′E, when the Sun stands 12.3° above the horizon. The eclipse magnitude reaches 0.963, meaning the Moon covers approximately 96.3% of the Sun’s diameter along the center line. The gamma value of −0.9743 indicates the axis of the Moon’s shadow passes far south of Earth’s center, restricting the central path to high southern latitudes.
The antumbral path extends approximately 4 282 km (2 661 miles) across Antarctica, with a maximum width of about 616 km (383 miles). The central line crosses the Antarctic interior before reaching the Davis Sea coast. Maximum annularity lasts approximately 2 minutes 20 seconds near the center of the track.
This eclipse belongs to Saros 121 and is member 61 of 71 in the series. Saros 121 began on April 25, 944 AD, and will end on June 7, 2206. The series contains total eclipses from July 10, 1070, through October 9, 1809; hybrid eclipses on October 20, 1827, and October 30, 1845; and annular eclipses from November 11, 1863, through February 28, 2044. Each event in the series is separated by 18 years 11 days and 8 hours.
The eclipse occurs approximately 6.8 days after lunar apogee at 16:50 UTC on February 10, and about 7.5 days before perigee at 23:15 UTC on February 24. The Moon’s apparent angular diameter is therefore slightly smaller than average, preventing totality and producing a ring of sunlight during maximum phase.
Outside Antarctica, the event is visible only as a partial eclipse. In southern South America, obscuration remains low. Punta Arenas, Chile, reaches a maximum coverage of approximately 1.81% shortly after sunrise at 07:28 local time.
Southern Africa experiences the eclipse during afternoon hours on February 17, but maximum obscuration varies by latitude. Cape Town, South Africa, reaches approximately 5.19% coverage at 14:43 LT, while Durban will see approximately 16.10% at 15:05 LT. Réunion and Mauritius will have the highest regional values, with Mauritius reaching 31.64% obscuration and Réunion 31.14% near sunset.
Direct viewing of any phase of a solar eclipse without certified solar filters meeting ISO 12312-2 standards can result in permanent eye injury. Standard sunglasses do not provide adequate protection.
This annular solar eclipse is followed two weeks later by a total lunar eclipse on March 3, visible from eastern Asia, Australia, the Pacific, and the Americas.