This New Moon Solar Eclipse brings a deep collective craving for freedom, for change, and for the kind of awakening moments that only a sign like Aquarius can deliver. It's that quiet, persistent internal nudge telling you that the old normal is no longer enough to contain the person you are becoming. We're being asked to build structures that hold space for both our personal evolution and our collective progress. It's an invitation to finally start marching to the beat of your own drum, embracing a journey that feels spontaneous and liberated, yet deeply aligned with the purpose of where you truly fit in. Of course, Eclipse energy rarely arrives without a challenge; it's here to shake the foundation, disrupting old paradigms just enough to make room for a new beginning. If the old way of doing things feels like it's crumbling, let it, you're just clearing the field for a path that lets the wild version of yourself run free.
Key Points for this Solar Eclipse in Aquarius:
- This is the very first Eclipse in the Aquarius-Leo series, which will last into 2028.
- This is an annular Solar Eclipse, which means the Moon covers the Sun's center, leaving the Sun's visible outer edges to form a "ring of fire."
- This Eclipse occurs near the North Node, calling us forward in our growth.
- This Eclipse is primarily visible from Antarctica. South America, South Africa, and the Indian Ocean will have partial views.
Eclipses are often referred to as portals—sacred opportunities to step out of one energy and into another. They are the moments where the past, present, and future all get tangled together, giving us a unique opportunity to untangle ourselves from the versions of our lives that no longer fit. They force us to look at our patterns and be radically present with the world around us.
The Nodes of Destiny
The Moon's path doesn't always cross the Sun's, but when it does, they meet at two magical points known as the nodes of destiny. Not only are they points in the sky, they are also major players in your birth chart, illuminating your soul's journey and life path.
Eclipses can only happen when the Sun is hanging out at one node while the Moon is either right there with it or parked at the opposite node across the earth.
The north node points to the future and is associated with growth, destiny, and the potential you're meant to develop in this lifetime. It can bring a sense of hunger, restlessness, and a craving for something new when the Moon hits close to it. February 17th's Solar Eclipse in Aquarius occurs near the North Node.
The south node points to the past, revealing what you've overcome and patterns of thought and behavior that are holding you back. It's often associated with past-life energy and karmic patterns. The following Full Moon Lunar Eclipse in Virgo on March 3rd, 2026 occurs near the South Node.
Most of the time, the Moon is drifting just slightly above or below these points. When that happens, we get our regular ol' New or Full Moon. But when they hit those Nodes? That's when the universe hits the fast-forward button on your destiny. If you've been dragging your feet on something or feeling stuck in a loop, Eclipse season is that much needed kick in the butt to finally make something happen.
Who Will Be Affected
This New Moon Solar Eclipse will occur at 28 degrees of Aquarius. While everyone is affected by the pull of an Eclipse, it will most significantly impact those with personal planets or points at approximately 24 to 30 degrees of the fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius) and 0 to 4 degrees of the mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces). Find the planets in your chart that this applies to, then look at the houses they inhabit to see what areas of your life this Eclipse is shaking up.
While some Eclipses do bring massive life shifts—like leaving a job or ending a long-term relationship—they aren't always that loud for everyone. Sometimes, the breakthroughs (or breakdowns) are found in the more mundane moments: a long-overdue conversation that finally clears the air, a sudden itch to start a new hobby that eventually transforms your career, or a random argument that highlights a pattern you're ready to break. Whether your Eclipse experience feels like a groundbreaking transformation or just another Tuesday, that destiny-aligned energy is still weaving its threads.
Aquarius's Influence
Eclipses are already unpredictable by design, but they get especially spicy when they land in a sign ruled by Uranus, the planet of disruption and revolution. Because of this, we can expect this Eclipse to shake up everything from technology and social structures to our most intimate personal relationships.
Aquarius is the unconventional seeker of the zodiac. Its energy breaks patterns. It liberates. It rewrites the rules. It lives for ideas that are too big for this world or ahead of their time.
On a collective level, there's a push for us to work together, dismantling outdated systems in the name of innovation and liberation.
On a personal level, this Eclipse may highlight friction that come from your own social circles and relationships. You may find yourself questioning the roles you play in your groups, friendships, communities, and even online spaces.
Ask yourself: Am in these spaces because it reflects who I am now, or because it's familiar?
The Year of the Fire Horse
On the same day as the Solar Eclipse, we're also stepping into the Year of the Fire Horse. According to Chinese Astrology, this energy is bold, fast-moving, and unapologetically transformative. The Lunar New Year always begins on the second New Moon after the December Solstice and this year favors courage, independence, and decisive action, inspiring us to move toward the direction that instinctively calls us.
Let the sign of the Fire Horse empower you to courageously run at what lights you up while the Solar Eclipse in Aquarius keeps your focus forward instead of backward.
How to make the most of Eclipse season
In the days leading up to and following an Eclipse, it's especially important to stay hydrated and keep yourself well-fed. When our nervous systems are regulated, we have the capacity to manage stress and bounce back to a state of calm with ease. Hunger and dehydration can do numbers on your mood and cognition; if a fated moment pops up during eclipse season, you want the mental clarity to discern its importance. You don't want to have to ask yourself, "Is this crash out eclipse-induced, or am I just hangry?"
As always, an Eclipse is a chance to pause, unplug, and acknowledge difficult emotions without forcing solutions. Eclipses play the long game. Remember, this is just the beginning of a multi-year storyline while the lunar nodes are in Aquarius and Leo until March 26th, 2028. I recommend keeping an eclipse journal. One that you record your insights, thoughts, emotions, and happenings solely around eclipses. This will make it easier to revisit timelines and decipher lessons when future eclipses in the Aquarius/Leo axis come around. In that journal you can return to old places with new eyes.
This New Moon Solar Eclipse in Aquarius occurs on Tuesday, February 17th, at 7:01 AM EST / 4:01 AM PST.
