Partial solar eclipse at the bottom of the world closes out the year's sun and moon spectacles

Audio By Carbonatix

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The bottom of the world is front and center for a partial solar eclipse next week.

Antarctica, New Zealand and a sliver of Australia are in prime position as the moon slips between the sun and Earth, obscuring a good portion of our star. The action unfolds on Monday local time Down Under, two weeks after a total lunar eclipse wowed Asia.

It will be the fourth and last eclipse of the year. Another back-to-back pair of eclipses opened the year in March.

The sun will put on even better shows in 2026, hitting both polar regions. A “ring of fire” eclipse will cut across Antarctica in February, with a total solar eclipse over the Arctic in August, as well as Greenland, Iceland and Spain.

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.