Annular Solar Eclipse: Sun To Look Like A 'Ring Of Fire' In February 2017

An annular solar eclipse will happen on Feb. 26, 2017. This solar eclipse will cause the Sun to look like an annulus or referred to as the "ring of fire."

The annual solar eclipse will be seen mostly from the southern tip of South America in the morning and it ends in south and western Africa at sunset. On the other hand, in some areas, people will only see a partial solar eclipse.

Coming up on 26 Feb: Annular solar eclipse. See our simulations here: https://t.co/LBx4dKyokj pic.twitter.com/utlArISsR9

— In The Sky (@intheskyorg) January 28, 2017

A solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun. It blocks the image of the Sun viewed from the planet Earth. Meanwhile, an annular solar eclipse happens when the apparent diameter of the Moon is smaller than the Sun. This blocks most of the Sun's light and causes the Sun to appear like an annulus or a ring. The annular solar eclipse could appear as a partial eclipse over a region of the Earth thousands of kilometers wide.

According to NASA, the predictions for the Annular Solar Eclipse on Feb. 26, 2017 were made by utilizing the JPL DE405 solar and lunar ephemerides with a value of ∆T = 68.3 seconds. You can view the map showing the path of the Annular Solar Eclipse here.

Meanwhile, NASA is preparing for the total solar eclipse on Aug. 21, 2017 that will cross the United States for the first time since 1918. The space agency's scientists are submitting research proposals and sharing information on safe eclipse.

The total solar eclipse will start near Lincoln City in Oregon at 10:15 a.m. PDT and ends at 2:48 p.m. EDT near Charleston in South Carolina. It will take about 1 hour and 40 minutes to cross the United States. NASA will host some science projects during this period of time.