Partial solar eclipse to grace skies over Antarctica, New Zealand and Australia

Sky watchers in the Southern Hemisphere are set to witness a partial solar eclipse next week, with the best views expected from Antarctica, New Zealand and parts of Australia.

The celestial event will occur on Monday local time, as the moon passes between the Earth and the sun, obscuring a significant portion of the solar disk. The eclipse comes just two weeks after a total lunar eclipse dazzled observers across Asia.

This will be the fourth and final eclipse of the year, following a pair of back-to-back events in March.

Astronomers say even more dramatic displays are on the horizon. In 2026, the sun will stage rare performances over both polar regions — an annular “ring of fire” eclipse sweeping across Antarctica in February, followed by a total solar eclipse in August spanning the Arctic, Greenland, Iceland and Spain.