An annular eclipse of the Sun occurred on Sunday 26 February, 2017 UT, lasting from 12:10–17:36 UT. A large annular eclipse covered over 99% of the Sun, creating a dramatic spectacle for observers in a narrow path at most 31 km wide; it lasted 44 seconds at the point of maximum eclipse. It was seen from southern South America, across the Atlantic, and into southern Africa. The partial eclipse was visible in southern South America, and south-west Africa.

The timings of the phases of the overall eclipse worldwide are as follows. In any particular place it would have been seen for a significantly shorter duration as the shadow moved across the Earth:

Partial eclipse began: 12:10:48 UT
Annular eclipse began: 13:15:18 UT
Maximum eclipse: 14:53:25 UT
Annular eclipse ended: 16:31:38 UT
Partial eclipse ended: 17:36:02 UT

During this eclipse the Sun was 0.538° in apparent diameter, 1.0% larger than average. The Moon was just 4 days before perigee, making it relatively large. At maximum eclipse it was 0.534° in apparent diameter, which is 0.6% larger than average; this was not large enough to cover the Sun, which is why this was an annular eclipse. The statistics page has information on the ranges of the sizes of the Sun and Moon, and the Moon data page displays detailed information on the Moon's key dates.

South America

The eclipse crosses Chile and Argentina between 13:34 UT and 13:44 UT. The path width is shrinking from 58 km (36 miles) to 50 km (31.1 miles) as the eclipse builds, and the duration of the annular phase is just over 1 minute.

Africa

The eclipse reaches Africa in Angola at 16:26 UT; it is reaching the end of the annular eclipse, with a duration of 1 minute 9 seconds, and a path width of 73 km (45.4 miles). The eclipse crosses the northern tip of Zambia and ends in the Democratic Republic of Congo at 16:30 UT.

Interactive Map

This map shows the visibility of the eclipse. The shaded area saw the annular solar eclipse; however, near the edges of this area, the eclipse was very short. The bold line shows the centre of the path, where the eclipse lasted longest.

Use the zoom controls to zoom in and out; hover your mouse over any point on the centreline to see the time and duration of the eclipse at that point. You can pan and zoom the map to see detail for any part of the eclipse path.

The interactive map is currently not available.

Overview Map

This map sourced from NASA Goddard Space flight Center: GSFC Eclipse Web SiteGSFC Eclipse Web Site
The primary source of all the information on eclipses presented here at Hermit Eclipse. (NASA Goddard Space flight Center)
https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse.html
shows the visibility of the annular solar eclipse. It also shows the broader area in which a partial eclipse was seen. (Click on it for the full-sized version.)

Eclipse Season and Saros Series

This eclipse season contains 2 eclipses:

This was the 29th eclipse in solar Saros series 140.The surrounding eclipses in this Saros series are:

This Saros series, solar Saros series 140, is linked to lunar Saros series 133. The nearest partner eclipses in that series are:

Eclipse Parameters

UT Date/time (max) 14:53:23 on 26 Feb UT TDT Date/time (max) 14:54:33 on 26 Feb TDT
Saros Series 140 Number in Series 29
Penumbral Magnitiude Central Magnitiude 0.9922
Gamma -0.4578 Path Width (km) 31
Delta T 1m10s Error ± 0m04s (95%)
Penumbral Duration Partial Duration
Total Duration 0m44s
Partial Rating major Total Rating travel
Sun Distance 148143744 km (21.7%) Moon Distance 378213 km (43.4%)
Sun Diameter 0.538° Moon Diameter 0.526° - 0.534°
Apogee 21:15 on 18 Feb UT Perigee 07:25 on 3 Mar UT
Contact p1 12:10:48 on 26 Feb UT Contact p2
Contact u1 13:15:18 on 26 Feb UT Contact u2 13:16:54 on 26 Feb UT
Max eclipse 14:53:25 on 26 Feb UT
Contact u3 16:30:08 on 26 Feb UT Contact u4 16:31:38 on 26 Feb UT
Contact p3 Contact p4 17:36:02 on 26 Feb UT

Note that while all dates and times on this site (except where noted) are in UT, which is within a second of civil time, the dates and times shown in NASA's eclipse listingsGSFC Eclipse Web Site
The primary source of all the information on eclipses presented here at Hermit Eclipse. (NASA Goddard Space flight Center)
https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse.html
are in the TDT timescale.

The Sun and Moon distances are shown in km, and as a percentage of their minimum - maximum distances; hence 0% is the closest possible (Earth's perihelion, or the Moon's closest possible perigee) and 100% is the farthest (aphelion, the farthest apogee). The statistics page has information on the ranges of sizes of the Sun and Moon, and the Moon data page displays detailed information on the Moon's key dates.

Data last updated: 2015-06-21 22:11:46 UTC.