Annular solar eclipse of February 6, 2027: a ring of fire from Patagonia to the Gulf of Guinea.
On February 6, 2027 the Moon passes directly in front of the Sun but is too far from Earth to cover it, leaving a bright ring around a dark disc. That ring, the annulus, lasts up to 7 minutes 51 seconds and is visible along a track that begins in the South Pacific, crosses southern Chile and Argentina around local midday, runs the width of the South Atlantic, and ends at sunset on the coast of West Africa. Greatest eclipse is at 15:59 UTC over the ocean off southern Brazil. This page gives the path, the times, who sees a partial eclipse, and how an annular eclipse differs from a total one.
Where is the path of annularity?
The path is about 280 km wide. It touches land first in Chile, around the Chiloé and Guaitecas islands at about 14:52 UTC, crosses the Andes into Argentina, and runs east through Chubut, Río Negro, and Buenos Aires province, leaving the coast near Mar del Plata at about 15:29 UTC. Uruguay and a corner of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil sit inside the path's northern edge. The antumbra then spends more than two hours over the South Atlantic before reaching the Gulf of Guinea at sunset, where the last of the ring covers the coasts of Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Nigeria before the path ends about 25 km off Lagos at 17:53 UTC. The central line itself never touches African soil; its closest approach is about 37 km offshore from Cape Three Points, Ghana, so the African cities see the ring near the path's edge, lower in the sky and shorter.
What time is the eclipse?
Greatest eclipse is at 15:59 UTC, with the eclipse magnitude 0.928, meaning the Moon covers about 93 percent of the Sun's diameter at that moment. In Argentina the ring appears around 11:50 to 12:35 local time (UTC minus 3): about 7 minutes 30 seconds at Esquel, 7 minutes 10 seconds at Viedma, and 7 minutes 37 seconds at Mar del Plata, according to published path tables. Punta del Este in Uruguay gets about 5 minutes 26 seconds a little after 12:36 local time. On the African end the ring comes at 17:49 to 17:55 GMT in Accra and Lomé, with sunset following 10 to 20 minutes later, and at about 18:50 West Africa Time in Lagos, seven minutes before sunset. Abidjan sits at the path's edge and gets under a minute and a half.
Who sees a partial eclipse?
All of South America south of the Amazon, Antarctica, and most of western and southern Africa see the Moon take a bite out of the Sun without the full ring. The farther from the path, the smaller the bite. Buenos Aires, Santiago, São Paulo, Cape Town, and Johannesburg all see a substantial partial eclipse. North America, Europe, and Asia see nothing.
Why is it annular and not total?
The Moon's distance from Earth varies by about 50,000 km over each orbit. When a central eclipse happens with the Moon near apogee, its farthest point, the Moon's disc is slightly smaller than the Sun's and cannot cover it. The result is a ring of sunlight around the Moon instead of darkness. On February 6, 2027 the Moon is a few days past apogee, so the ring is fairly thick and the sky does not go dark. The Moon distance page lists every perigee and apogee, and the difference in the Moon's apparent size is the whole reason some eclipses are total and some annular.
Is it safe to look at an annular eclipse?
No, at no point. Unlike a total eclipse, an annular eclipse never fully covers the Sun, so there is no moment when it is safe to look without protection. Certified eclipse glasses or a projection method are required for the entire event, ring included. The ring is bright enough to damage the eye in seconds.
What else does 2027 hold?
Six months later, on August 2, 2027, the Moon is near perigee and the same alignment produces the longest total solar eclipse on land this century, 6 minutes 23 seconds near Luxor, Egypt. The two eclipses are a matched pair: the same node of the Moon's orbit, opposite ends of the Moon's distance range. The three lunar eclipses of 2027 (February 20, July 18, August 17) are all penumbral and barely visible.
Quick answers.
What time is the February 6, 2027 eclipse?
Greatest eclipse is at 15:59 UTC. Argentina sees the ring around midday local time, West Africa just before sunset.
How long does the ring last?
Up to 7 minutes 51 seconds on the central line over the South Atlantic, about 7 to 7.5 minutes in Argentina, and 5 to 5.5 minutes on the West African coast.
Can I see it from the United States or Europe?
No. The partial eclipse is limited to South America, Antarctica, and western and southern Africa.