Solar Eclipse February 17, 2026 - Time and List of Cities, Countries to Watch
An Annular Solar Eclipse, also called as Ring of Fire, will be witnessed Tuesday February 17, 2026 and will be visible in parts of South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Argentina, Chile and other countries but not in India, Saudi Arabia and other Asian countries
Annular Solar Eclipse: An Annular Solar Eclipse, also called as Ring of Fire, will be witnessed Tuesday February 17, 2026 and will be visible in parts of South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Argentina, Chile and other countries but not in India, Saudi Arabia and other Asian countries.
An Annular Solar Eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, and it is at or near its farthest point from Earth. But, the Moon doesn't cover the Sun entirely, and appears smaller because it is farther away from Earth, making the lunar body look like a dark disk on top of a larger, bright disk - creating a ring around the Moon, according to NASA.
Start and End Time
The February 17, 2026, partial solar eclipse will begin at 4:56 a.m. EST (09:56 GMT).
The Solar Eclipse on February 17, 2026 will reach maximum "ring of fire" annularity at 7:12 a.m. EST (12:12 GMT), and end at 9:27 a.m. EST (14:27 GMT), according to Time and Date.
Tuesday's Solar Eclipse will be partial annular eclipse, and will be visible in parts of South Africa, South America and Antarctica.
List of Countries to watch Solar Eclipse February 17, 2026
The February 2026 eclipse will start at around 4:56 am EST in the United States. It will peak at 7:12 a.m. EST and end at 9:27 am EST.
The Feb 2026 Solar Eclipse will be visible along a narrow path in Antarctica.
Outside that path, parts of southern South America (such as southern Argentina and Chile) and southern Africa will see a partial solar eclipse.
Full Annularity (Ring of Fire) will be visible almost exclusively over Antarctica. Partial Solar Eclipse will be visible in the nearby regions in the Southern Hemisphere will see a partial eclipse, including:
- Southern Africa: South Africa (Cape Town, Durban), Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Tanzania.
- South America: Southern tips of Argentina and Chile.
- Islands: Mauritius, Reunion, and parts of Madagascar.
India, Saudi Arabia to miss February 2026 Solar Eclipse
In India, Saudi Arabia and other Asian countries the February 17 solar eclipse will not be visible.
As per the tradition of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), Muslims residing in the countries and cities where Partial Solar Eclipse will be visible on February 17, 2026 will offer Special Eclipse Prayers “Salat al Khusoof”.
The Special Prayers for Solar Eclipse, however, will not be offered in Masjid Haram in Makkah and Masjid Nabawi in Madinah as the eclipse will not be visible in Saudi Arabia.
The next Solar Eclipse of the year 2026 will be a total Solar Eclipse on August 12, 2026. This total eclipse will be visible from parts of Greenland, Iceland and northern Spain, with a partial eclipse seen across broader regions of Europe and Africa.
On March 3, 2026, a Total Lunar Eclipse will turn the Moon blood red for skywatchers across North America, Australia, New Zealand, East Asia and the Pacific, according to Space.com.
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