By Lily Hautau, CNN

(CNN) — A “ring of fire” solar eclipse on Tuesday will mark the first eclipse of 2026, but only about 2% of the world’s population will get to see it, according to Time and Date.

The event, also called an annular solar eclipse, occurs “when the moon passes directly between the Earth and the sun, but the moon is too far away in its orbit to completely cover the sun’s disk,” Dr. C. Alex Young, associate director for science communication in the Heliophysics Science Division at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, said in an email.

This results in a glowing ring of sunlight surrounding the moon’s dark silhouette, he explained, giving it the name “ring of fire.” If the moon completely covers the sun, it becomes a total eclipse. A partial solar eclipse happens when the moon passes between the sun and Earth, but the sun, moon, and Earth are not perfectly lined up, according to NASA.

The best view of the ring of fire will be from a sliver of Antarctica, with a partial eclipse visible from the rest of the icy continent, as well as parts of Africa and South America.

Annular solar eclipses happen every one to two years, however many are not visible from most parts of the world. There will be another annular eclipse on February 6, 2027, according to NASA, and it will be visible to larger swaths of South America and Africa. As for those in the United States, the next opportunity to see an annular eclipse will be in 2039, according to Young.

Eclipses come in pairs and occasionally trios. Astronomers call these groups of events eclipse seasons, Young noted, adding that “a solar eclipse is always accompanied by a lunar eclipse about two weeks before or after.” This annular eclipse marks the first eclipse of the season with a total lunar eclipse following on March 3.

The upcoming annular solar eclipse will be the first since 2024. During the event, the moon’s shadow will carve a path 383 miles (616 kilometers) wide and 2,661 miles (4,282 kilometers) long across Earth, according to EarthSky.

Because the slim ring of fire only passes over Antarctica, many people will need to rely on livestream footage to view it. “It’s all a matter of geometry,” Young said. “You have to be in exactly the right spot along the narrow path of annularity to see it, which makes witnessing an eclipse like this so rare.”

The annular eclipse will be most dramatic at Concordia Station, Antarctica, beginning at 6:48 p.m. local time (6:42 a.m. ET) and peaking at 7:47 p.m. local time (7:12 a.m. ET), according to Time and Date. The event will last around two hours.

A partial eclipse will be visible across South Africa, South America and Antarctica, according to Time and Date.

Argentina and Chile will be able to see the partial eclipse starting around 7 a.m. local time (5 a.m. ET). Across southern Africa, sky-gazers can expect to see the partial eclipse in early to midafternoon.

To check when the eclipse will be visible from different locations along its path, see Time and Date’s website.

What to look for and how to safely watch

If you do witness the annular solar eclipse, you’ll first notice the moon slowly moving across the sun, creating a partial eclipse. As the coverage increases to about 80%, shadows on the ground begin to

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SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) - Darkened skies over Santa Maria quietly rumbled as the afternoon thunderstorm pushed its way through.

An early morning downpour ushered in the start of Santa Maria’s work week, creating flooded street corners while making the use of wipers and headlights necessary.

Black Road between Santa Maria and Guadalupe was closed due to flash flooding, and officials say areas east of Santa Maria are seeing potential for flash flooding and closure.

No major incidents or outages have been reported in the northern parts of Santa Barbara county, but emergency preparedness alerts have been issued for most of the Central Coast.

Officials at Santa Barbara county’s Office of Emergency Management recommend continuing to be on alert throughout the remainder of the week, as more showers are on the way.

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By Ben Church, CNN

Milan, Italy (CNN) — Much has been made of the weight of expectation at this year’s Winter Games, especially when it comes to American athletes.

But where the likes of Ilia Mailinin and Mikaela Shiffrin have seemingly struggled to live with the pressure, Team USA’s speed skating sensation Jordan Stolz has thrived.

In just his second Olympics, the 21-year-old has already won two gold medals in the two events he’s competed in. First came 1000m glory and an Olympic record to boot, followed by a 500m victory and another Olympic record.

It’s a worrying precedent for his rivals, given he has the chance to win another two individual gold medals in the Milan Cortina, both in the 1500m event and the mass start.

Given his record in recent years, it’s unsurprising that Stolz was expected to shine on the global stage. And while many would, and have, caved under the pressure, Stolz has only grown ever larger.

Before heading to Milan, the American spoke to CNN Sports and addressed his label of being the man to beat.

“I kind of like it,” he said. “It’s better than being the one who’s hunting. I’d rather be hunted because that means you’re doing something right and winning.”

Stolz has now proven that those were not empty words, embracing the favorite tag and turning it into a strength. Not bad for a man who initially learned to skate on a frozen pond behind his childhood home.

Embracing logic

Stolz seems to read from the same logic-based hymn sheet that the likes of legendary climber Alex Honnold sing from. The skater’s confidence stems from repetition, knowing that if he puts enough hours into his craft, there shouldn’t be anything to worry about.

It’s perhaps how he’s able to step into the Olympic limelight and take it all in his stride – a skill others have so far failed to master.

“It is not like (the Olympic Winter Games) is different from any other race,” he said after winning his first gold medal of the Winter Games.

“It’s just the fact that you waited the last four years to finally get here again, and you get one shot to try and battle, which I was able to do. It’s a feeling like no other.”

Glittering career

Despite being so young, Stolz has been at the top of speed skating for several years. In 2023, the then 18-year-old became the youngest ever speed skating world champion after earning gold in the 500m.

In the process, he also became the first speed skater in more than 40 years to win both junior and senior world titles in the same season, a feat only previously accomplished by Beth Heiden in 1979 and Eric Heiden in 1977 and 1978.

His career has just kept going on an upward trajectory. Before becoming a two-time Olympic champion in Milan, he was already a two-time world champion in the 500m, 1000m and 1500m events and holds the world record in the 1000m.

It’s perhaps unsurprising, then, that he’s already been compared to