Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 54 minutes ago
The Moon passed directly between the Sun and Earth on 17 February 2026, creating an annular solar eclipse. Because the Moon was at a more distant point along its elliptical orbit around Earth, it didn't entirely cover the Sun and left a ‘ring of fire’.
The European Space Agency's (ESA) Proba-2 satellite captured this ring from its viewpoint in space. Flying around Earth, the spacecraft witnessed the same solar eclipse no less than four times, including a perfect ring of fire at 11:31 Universal Time. The images were taken by the spacecraft's SWAP extreme ultraviolet imager, at a wavelength of 17.4 nanometres.
On Earth, this rare treat was only visible from Antarctica. A partial solar eclipse could be seen from the southern tip of Chile and Argentina, as well as southern Africa.
Upcoming solar eclipses will be visible from more populated regions. ESA is looking forward to three ‘European eclipses’ in the next two years: a total solar eclipse on 12 August 2026 (totality visible from Greenland, Iceland, Spain); a total solar eclipse on 2 August 2027 (southern tip of Spain, northern Africa & the Middle East); and an annular eclipse on 26 January 2028 (South America, Portugal, Spain).
Credit: ESA/Royal Observatory of Belgium
See Proba-2's best image of the annular eclipse here: https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2026/02/Annular_solar_eclipse_seen_from_space
Read the Proba-2 Science Center blog post about the eclipse here: proba2.sidc.be/Eclipse17February2026
Remember: never look directly at the Sun, even when partially eclipsed, without proper eye protection such as special solar eclipse glasses, or you risk permanent eye damage.
We are Europe's gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe's space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out https://www.esa.int/ to get up to speed on everything space related.
Copyright information about our videos is available here: https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Terms_and_conditions_of_use_of_images_and_videos_available_on_the_esa_website
#esa #proba2
The Moon passed directly between the Sun and Earth on 17 February 2026, creating an annular solar eclipse. Because the Moon was at a more distant point along its elliptical orbit around Earth, it didn't entirely cover the Sun and left a ‘ring of fire’.
The European Space Agency's (ESA) Proba-2 satellite captured this ring from its viewpoint in space. Flying around Earth, the spacecraft witnessed the same solar eclipse no less than four times, including a perfect ring of fire at 11:31 Universal Time. The images were taken by the spacecraft's SWAP extreme ultraviolet imager, at a wavelength of 17.4 nanometres.
On Earth, this rare treat was only visible from Antarctica. A partial solar eclipse could be seen from the southern tip of Chile and Argentina, as well as southern Africa.
Upcoming solar eclipses will be visible from more populated regions. ESA is looking forward to three ‘European eclipses’ in the next two years: a total solar eclipse on 12 August 2026 (totality visible from Greenland, Iceland, Spain); a total solar eclipse on 2 August 2027 (southern tip of Spain, northern Africa & the Middle East); and an annular eclipse on 26 January 2028 (South America, Portugal, Spain).
Credit: ESA/Royal Observatory of Belgium
See Proba-2's best image of the annular eclipse here: https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2026/02/Annular_solar_eclipse_seen_from_space
Read the Proba-2 Science Center blog post about the eclipse here: proba2.sidc.be/Eclipse17February2026
Remember: never look directly at the Sun, even when partially eclipsed, without proper eye protection such as special solar eclipse glasses, or you risk permanent eye damage.
We are Europe's gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe's space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out https://www.esa.int/ to get up to speed on everything space related.
Copyright information about our videos is available here: https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Terms_and_conditions_of_use_of_images_and_videos_available_on_the_esa_website
#esa #proba2
