Annular solar eclipse of 6 February 2027 in Pietermaritzburg: is it visible, and the sky above you

The real sky over Pietermaritzburg, South Africa at 6 February 2027, 18:00 local time: 3,346 stars above the horizon, including Sirius, Canopus, Capella. This is the annular solar eclipse of 6 February 2027, when the Moon leaves a ring of Sun uncovered. Free to view, printable as an A3 star chart.

From Pietermaritzburg the Sun stands about 10° above the horizon, toward the west, at the instant of greatest eclipse. The ring of fire crosses Chile, Argentina and the south Atlantic for up to 7m51s; South America, Antarctica and western and southern Africa see a partial eclipse. How much of the Sun is covered where you stand depends on your distance from that centre line, and this page does not guess a percentage. Inside the band of totality the sky darkens enough that the stars on this chart come out in the middle of the day.

The Moon was up over Pietermaritzburg at that moment: a new moon, 0% lit, 10° above the horizon toward the west — the poster draws it where it really stood.

Brightest named stars up at that moment: Sirius, Canopus, Capella, Rigel, Procyon, Achernar. Every star is a real one from the HYG catalogue, placed with the exact latitude (-29.62°) and longitude (30.39°) of Pietermaritzburg. North is up and east is on the left, as when you look up.