PARTIAL SOLAR ECLIPSEMcMurdo, AntarcticaWednesday 18 February 2026 · times in UTC+13
86%
OF THE SUN COVERED
A clear bite was taken out of the Sun. Daylight barely changed, so this was an eclipse you had to know about in advance to notice.
02 · TIMING
When did it happen?
The whole eclipse ran 1h 54m. All times are local, in UTC+13.
23:34 MAX 00:31 01:28
| Phase | LOCAL TIME | SUN |
|---|---|---|
| First contactthe Moon touches the Sun's edge | 23:34 | 2° SW |
| Maximumthe deepest point | 00:31 | 1° SSW |
| Last contactthe Sun is whole again | 01:28 | 0° S |
03 · DIRECTION
Where was it in the sky?
At maximum the Sun was just 1° above the horizon to the south-west — low enough to need a clear, flat horizon, over water or from high ground.
The Sun's height and bearing at maximum, from McMurdo. The horizon is at 0°.
THE EXPERIENCE
What it was actually like
A distinct bite was taken out of the Sun, reaching 86% at maximum. Daylight barely changed — the eye adapts far too well for that — so this was an eclipse you had to know about in advance to notice. Anyone watching needed a filter; the remaining Sun was as dangerous as an uneclipsed one.
04 · POSITION
Where was it seen?
The path passed 1,096 km to the west of McMurdo and was 754 km wide. Only inside it was the Sun covered completely.
THE DAY
- DAY LENGTH
- 24h 00m
REFERENCE FIGURES
- OBSCURATION
- 86%
- COORDINATES
- 77.846° S, 166.676° E
- PATH WIDTH
- 754 km
- SHADOW SPEED
- 3,509 km/h
- SAROS
- 121 · no. 62
- MAGNITUDE
- 0.9018
- GAMMA
- -0.9744
Contact times are accurate to a couple of seconds at the coordinates above. Altitudes are geometric — unrefracted, on the WGS 84 ellipsoid.
NEXT FROM MCMURDO
What else is coming here?
The rest of what the sky over McMurdo has coming, soonest first.