This Tuesday (February 17)’s new moon will pass by without much fuss in most parts of the world, but something more exciting will happen in parts of Antarctica. It is an annular solar eclipse, also known as an annular solar eclipse.
During an annular solar eclipse, the moon passes directly in front of the sun, but is too small in the sky to completely cover the sun. That’s because during these rare solar eclipses, the moon is at its furthest from Earth in a slightly elliptical orbit. On February 17th, 96% of the sun will be covered during the “Ring of Fire.”
Observers within the narrow 383-mile (616-kilometer) wide path will see the “ring of fire” – the bright rim of the sun around the dark silhouette of the moon – for up to 2 minutes and 20 seconds.
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But very few people will witness it. This solar eclipse is the most remote yet, with its path passing over largely uninhabited terrain in the interior of Antarctica.
“Only a small number of people may be able to view this eclipse from within the annular zone,” eclipse meteorologist Jay Anderson wrote on his website Eclipsophile. “It is difficult to reach, and there are only two inhabited places in the ring’s shadow, neither of which are welcoming to tourists. In the worst-case scenario, Mirny could be home to dozens of Russian researchers, and Concordia could be home to a few French or Italian nationals.” [two research stations in Antarctica] They will record the event for posterity. ”
Solar eclipse for scientists (and penguins)
According to the date and time, Mirny station on the Davis Sea coast was in a “ring fire” stage for 1 minute and 52 seconds. Meanwhile, a ring of fire erupted at Concordia Air Base, jointly operated by France and Italy, for two minutes and nine seconds. The latter location has a much higher chance of clear skies, the time and date adds.
The solar eclipse officially begins at 9:56 UTC (4:46 a.m. ET), when parts of Antarctica and southeastern Africa will experience a partial solar eclipse. (Mozambique, Madagascar, and Mauritius will see a partial solar eclipse of 10% to 35%.) The annular phase occurs between 11:42 UTC and 12:41 UTC (6:42 AM to 7:42 AM EST), and the partial eclipse phase ends by 14:27 UTC (2:27 PM EST).
Solar eclipses always appear in pairs. A lunar eclipse at the next new moon is inevitable because the alignment between the sun, new moon, and Earth is precise enough to cause an annular solar eclipse on February 17th. On March 3, a total lunar eclipse will be visible in East Asia, Australia, New Zealand, parts of the Pacific Ocean, and western North America.
According to the time and date, the next annular solar eclipse will occur on February 6, 2027, with a “ring of fire” visible for up to 7 minutes and 51 seconds in Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Nigeria.
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