An annular
solar eclipse
A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby obscuring the view of the Sun from a small part of the Earth, totally or partially. Such an alignment occurs during an eclipse season, approximately every six mo ...
will occur on Tuesday, February 17, 2026. A
solar eclipse
A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby obscuring the view of the Sun from a small part of the Earth, totally or partially. Such an alignment occurs during an eclipse season, approximately every six mo ...
occurs when the
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width ...
passes between
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surf ...
and the
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is a nearly perfect ball of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core. The Sun radiates this energy mainly as light, ultraviolet, and infrared rad ...
, thereby totally or partly obscuring the image of the Sun for a viewer on Earth. An annular solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's
apparent diameter
The angular diameter, angular size, apparent diameter, or apparent size is an angular distance describing how large a sphere or circle appears from a given point of view. In the vision sciences, it is called the visual angle, and in optics, it is ...
is smaller than the Sun's, blocking most of the Sun's light and causing the Sun to look like an
annulus
Annulus (or anulus) or annular indicates a ring- or donut-shaped area or structure. It may refer to:
Human anatomy
* ''Anulus fibrosus disci intervertebralis'', spinal structure
* Annulus of Zinn, a.k.a. annular tendon or ''anulus tendineus co ...
(ring). An annular eclipse appears as a partial eclipse over a region of the Earth thousands of kilometres wide.
Images
Animated path
Related eclipses
Eclipses in 2026
* An annular solar eclipse on February 17.
*
A total lunar eclipse on March 3.
*
A total solar eclipse on August 12.
*
A partial lunar eclipse on August 28.
Solar eclipses 2026–2029
Saros 121
Metonic series
All eclipses in this table occur at the Moon's ascending node.
References
External links
* http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEplot/SEplot2001/SE2026Feb17A.GIF
2026 2 17
2026 in science
2026 2 17
2026 2 17
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