المملكة: Jeddah Astronomy: A rare annular eclipse coincides with the conjunction of the Ramadan crescent tomorrow, Tuesday

The President of the Astronomical Society in Jeddah, Engineer Majid Abu Zahra, explained that on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, the Earth will witness a rare astronomical phenomenon represented by an annular solar eclipse, known scientifically as the “ring of light,” where the new moon passes between the Earth and the sun without being able to completely obscure the disk of the sun. Its center is only with a bright ring remaining surrounding the moon, which gives the phenomenon its unique and distinctive character.

He pointed out that during the peak of this EclipseThe apparent diameter of the Sun is about 0.539 degrees, that is, about 1.2 percent larger than its average apparent size, while the Moon is about seven days away from reaching aphelion and seven days before perigee, and its apparent diameter at the peak is about 0.520 degrees, that is, about 2.2 percent smaller than its average, which prevents it from covering the entire disk of the sun.

The president of the Astronomical Society in Jeddah explained that the path of the eclipse is The ring will extend across remote areas of Antarctica and some surrounding bodies of water, making the possibility of viewing the “Ring of Light” limited to a very limited number of uninhabited locations. Among the closest points on the eclipse’s path are the French-Italian Concordia stations in the heart of Antarctica, and the Russian Mirny station on the coast, where a limited number of researchers and scientists may be able to watch the ring, which lasts only a few minutes.

According to astronomical calculations, the percentage of the sun being obscured at the peak of the eclipse is about 96 percent of its disk, while the width of the annular shadow’s path is about 616 kilometers. As for the phase of the complete illuminated ring, which is the most prominent phase of the phenomenon, its duration does not exceed two minutes and 20 seconds in the best locations located on the central line of the eclipse path.

All phases of the eclipse, from its beginning to its end, take about 4 hours and 31 minutes, starting from the first partial contact and ending with the last partial contact. Abu Zahra stated that the partial eclipse will begin – according to local time in Saudi Arabia – at 12:56 p.m., followed by the start of the annular phase at 2:42 p.m.

He added that the moon will reach the conjunction stage for the blessed month of Ramadan at 3:01 p.m., ending a conjunction cycle around the Earth and beginning a new lunar cycle, while the annular eclipse peaks at 3:12 p.m., and ends. The annular phase is at 3:41 p.m., with the partial phase continuing until 5:27 p.m., which is when all phases of the eclipse end.

He explained that the eclipse will be seen partially outside the annular path in parts of southern South America and southeastern Africa, in addition to large areas of the southern oceans, where the moon will cover part of the sun’s disk without forming a bright ring. As for Saudi Arabia and the Arab world, there will not be any possibility to monitor the eclipse directly, which makes following the event limited to live broadcasts and specialized scientific coverage.

Abu Zahra concluded his speech by emphasizing that this eclipse acquires additional temporal importance because it coincides astronomically with the day the crescent of Ramadan is sighted, while noting that the beginning of the month in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is officially determined based on what the Supreme Court announces. He considered that the event represents an accurate reminder of the regularity of celestial movements and the importance of astronomical phenomena, and a rare scientific opportunity to combine an annular solar eclipse with an important lunar event in the Islamic calendar, at a time when Antarctica alone is able to witness the “ring of light” directly.