A rare annular solar eclipse popularly known as a “ring of fire” eclipse is gracing the skies this Tuesday, becoming the first eclipse of 2026. The catch? Only roughly 2% of the global population will witness it firsthand, according to Time and Date.
The spectacle occurs when the moon passes directly between Earth and the sun but sits too far along its orbit to fully blot out the solar disk. The result is a breathtaking halo of sunlight framing the moon’s dark silhouette. “It sort of looks like something’s taking a bite out of the sun,” said Dr. C. Alex Young, associate director for science communication in NASA’s Heliophysics Science Division. When the moon fully covers the sun, the event becomes a total eclipse; when alignment is imperfect, only a partial eclipse occurs.
The prime viewing location for Tuesday’s ring of fire is a narrow strip of Antarctica, though a partial eclipse will also be visible across much of the frozen continent, southern Africa, and parts of South America. Argentina and Chile can expect the partial eclipse to begin around 7 a.m. local time, while observers across southern Africa should look up in the early to mid-afternoon. The eclipse will be most dramatic at Concordia Station, Antarctica, where it peaks at roughly 7:47 p.m. local time (7:12 a.m. ET) and lasts about two hours.