Annular solar eclipse of February 6, 2027

On Carnival Saturday 2027, many Pathfinder Club tents will already be pitched in Brazil when the Moon passes in front of the Sun. The annular solar eclipse of February 6, 2027 runs from late morning to mid-afternoon Brasília time (BRT). Annular means the Moon looks too small to cover the whole Sun, leaving a rim of light: the famous ring of fire. The complete ring is only visible along a narrow path that crosses southern Chile, Argentine Patagonia, the coast of Buenos Aires Province and eastern Uruguay before grazing the far south of Rio Grande do Sul, while nearly all of Brazil will watch part of the Sun disappear. This guide brings together the numbers from NASA, the U.S. space agency, the times for Brazil's state capitals, and a safe viewing plan for the club.

📅When is the annular solar eclipse of February 6, 2027, and why does it fall during Carnival?

The 2027 annular solar eclipse takes place on Saturday, February 6, 2027. That year, Carnival Tuesday falls on February 9 and Ash Wednesday on February 10, which makes the 6th Carnival Saturday in Brazil, when many clubs are already out camping.

According to NASA's official table, computed by astronomer Fred Espenak, greatest eclipse occurs at 15:59:35 Universal Time (UT), or 12:59 Brasília time (BRT), out at sea at 31°18' S, 48°28' W, off the coast of Rio Grande do Sul. At that moment the Moon appears 92.8% as wide as the Sun, and the path of the ring is about 280 km wide.

The longest ring along the entire path lasts 7 minutes and 53 seconds, also over the ocean, about 150 km south of Chuí. The physics behind the different types of eclipse is in the guide to solar and lunar eclipses; this page sticks to this one eclipse. The year's other solar eclipse, the total eclipse of August 2, 2027, crosses southern Spain, North Africa and the Middle East and, according to NASA's eclipse table, will not be visible from any Brazilian city.

🗺️Where can you see the 2027 annular eclipse, and what is its path?

The ring's shadow begins at sunrise in the South Pacific, enters southern Chile near Chiloé Island, crosses Argentine Patagonia and the coast of Buenos Aires Province, reaches eastern Uruguay and grazes Brazil's far south. It then crosses the Atlantic and ends at sunset on the coast of the Gulf of Guinea, in West Africa.

On NASA's interactive map, the path appears between two blue lines, and the agency notes that the annular phase can only be seen inside them; outside, the eclipse is partial. Montevideo misses the path by less than 40 km and Buenos Aires by almost 200 km: both capitals get a partial eclipse, with about 86% and 82% of the Sun covered.

Calculated with NASA's eclipse calculator and checked against Xavier Jubier's interactive map; times in Brasília time (BRT), rounded for the center of each city.

📍Will the 2027 solar eclipse have a ring of fire in Brazil?

Yes, in one small corner of the map. According to NASA's limits table and calculator, the northern edge of the path reaches the far south of Rio Grande do Sul. Chuí and Santa Vitória do Palmar, with the beaches of Barra do Chuí and Hermenegildo, are inside: the ring appears at about 12:42 and is gone by 12:47 (Brasília time), lasting from two and a half minutes to just over four and a half minutes, depending on the spot. The independent calculation on Xavier Jubier's interactive map, cited on NASA's page, confirms the ring in both towns. According to NASA's limits table, the center of Santa Vitória do Palmar sits about 8 km inside the path and the center of Chuí about 17 km. Pelotas, Rio Grande and Porto Alegre get a partial eclipse.

In Rio de Janeiro state, the edge passes right by the Lakes Region (Região dos Lagos), but out at sea: Arraial do Cabo and Cabo Frio get a partial eclipse, with about 86% of the Sun covered.

Some lists going around put the ring over cities in Paraná and Santa Catarina. NASA does not back that up: Pato Branco (PR) gets about 71% of the Sun covered and Criciúma (SC) about 83%, both partial eclipses. In the country's far northwest, the eclipse barely happens: in Tabatinga and São Gabriel da Cachoeira (AM) and in Pacaraima (RR), the Moon does not even touch the Sun, and in Cruzeiro do Sul (AC) and Boa Vista (RR) the bite stays under 1%.

⏰What time is the 2027 solar eclipse in each Brazilian city?

The table was generated with the JavaScript Solar Eclipse Explorer, NASA's official calculator for South America. Times are in Brasília time (BRT), rounded, and the last column shows how much of the Sun's area is covered at maximum. In Brazil, first contact happens in western Rio Grande do Sul, around 10:54 in Barra do Quaraí, and last contact on the coast of Rio Grande do Norte, near 15:43 in Natal.

Subtract one hour in Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Rondônia, Roraima and most of Amazonas, and two hours in Acre and the far west of Amazonas. In September 2026, Brazil's Ministry of Mines and Energy announced there will be no daylight saving time in 2026/2027.

For your own city, open the calculator, pick the city or enter its latitude and longitude, check that the time zone is set to 3 hours west (Brasília time) and click the 2001 to 2100 century. In the February 6, 2027 row, the Eclipse Obs. column gives the fraction of the Sun covered.

Calculated with NASA's eclipse calculator. Brasília time (BRT); in Campo Grande and Manaus, local clocks read one hour earlier.

🕶️How do you watch a solar eclipse safely, even during the ring?

In an annular eclipse there is no safe moment without protection. NASA puts it plainly: during partial or annular eclipses, anyone looking at the Sun must use eclipse glasses or a handheld solar viewer the whole time. With the Moon covering about 86% of the Sun's area, the remaining 14% is still summer sun almost straight overhead.

In its leaflet for the 2023 annular eclipse, Brazil's National Observatory (Observatório Nacional), a federal astronomy research institution, called for lenses certified to NBR/ISO 12312-2 that filter out more than 99.999% of sunlight and listed what does not work: ordinary sunglasses, cell phones, X-ray film, and cameras and telescopes without a proper filter.

NASA adds precautions every Counselor should repeat: inspect the glasses and throw away any scratched or torn pair, always supervise children, and never look through binoculars, a camera or a telescope while wearing eclipse glasses, because the concentrated light gets through the filter. General sun care is covered in the article about the Sun.

A label alone guarantees nothing. The American Astronomical Society (AAS) points out that anyone can print "ISO 12312-2" on a package and recommends buying from manufacturers whose filters were tested by an accredited lab, or from dealers they authorize. Before the day, do the AAS test: indoors, with the glasses on, you should not see anything except very bright lights, and those look very faint.

Skin needs care too: NASA recommends sunscreen, a hat and suitable clothing, and the guide to sunscreen and insect repellent helps you put the kit together.

🏕️How can the Pathfinder Club make the most of the eclipse at the Carnival campout?

The eclipse falls on the Sabbath of the Carnival campout, and the timing helps: in Brazil's South and Southeast it starts in late morning and peaks around lunchtime; in the Northeast, it starts after noon. You can wrap up the worship service before the main phase. For many clubs of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, contemplating creation fits the Sabbath well, and the guide to Sabbath activities helps round out the afternoon.

Set up stations by Unit. At the first, the box projector NASA teaches: a cardboard box, aluminum foil with a tiny hole, a sheet of white paper and tape; with your back to the Sun, light comes in through the hole and draws the Sun on the paper. At the second, a pasta colander, which projects dozens of little suns on the ground. At the third, hands: spread fingers crossed over each other make a grid of projectors, and the shade of tree leaves does the same. According to the American Astronomical Society, during the annular phase these images turn into little rings; in the rest of the country, into crescents.

Give each Unit a scientist's task: sketch the projection every 15 minutes, noting the time, temperature and light, and afterward check whether the maximum matched the table.

For cloudy skies, have a plan B. NASA's map page recommends checking the weather forecast one or two days ahead, and in 2023 Brazil's National Observatory suggested that public events project the live stream, which it called the safest way to watch.

🔭What does the eclipse teach for the Pathfinder Astronomy Honor?

The eclipse becomes hands-on practice for two requirements of the Astronomy Honor. The Pathfinder Honors Manual used in Brazil (Manual de Especialidades de Desbravadores, in Portuguese), the basis for the honor guide, asks the Pathfinder to explain what causes an eclipse (requirement 1d) and to draw a diagram of the positions and movements of the Earth, Sun and Moon during eclipses (requirement 2). Agree with the Instructor beforehand on how each requirement will be assessed.

The 92.8% figure makes a good lesson too. According to NASA, an annular eclipse happens when the Moon is at or near its farthest point from Earth, which is why it looks smaller than the Sun. With a compass, draw circles 10 cm and 9.3 cm across, overlap them and watch the ring appear.

And then there is the part no ruler can measure. "Light is sweet, and it pleases the eyes to see the sun" (Ecclesiastes 11:7, NIV). The God who made light also made the eyes that receive it, and protecting them with a certified filter is gratitude in practice. The psalmist says God "made the moon to mark the seasons" (Psalm 104:19, NIV), and an eclipse that was already listed, with its time and place, in the five-millennium catalog NASA published in 2006 shows that clock at work.