A breathtaking annular solar eclipse is set to sweep across Antarctica on Feb. 17. Here's what to expect from each phase of the "ring of fire" eclipse as it plays out above one of the most remote regions on Earth.
An annular solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes directly in front of the sun's disk during the new moon phase while at a distant point from Earth in its elliptical orbit. Around this time, the lunar disk appears slightly smaller than the sun in Earth's sky. As a result, a sliver of the sun can be seen surrounding the moon during annularity — the equivalent to totality during a total solar eclipse.
