Deep Partial Lunar Eclipse Visible Aug. 27-28, 2026

A deep partial lunar eclipse will be visible across the Americas, Europe, and Africa on the night of August 27 into the early morning of August 28, 2026. At its peak, nearly the entire Moon will be immersed in Earth's dark umbral shadow, creating a dramatic celestial event that could give the lunar surface a reddish-orange hue.

The eclipse will begin when the Moon enters Earth's faint outer shadow, the penumbra, at 9:23 p.m. EDT on August 27. The more visually striking partial phase, where Earth's dark inner shadow, the umbra, begins to cover the Moon, will start at 10:33 p.m. EDT. Maximum eclipse is scheduled for 12:12 a.m. EDT on August 28, at which point 96.2% of the lunar surface will be covered. The partial phase will conclude at 1:51 a.m. EDT, and the entire event, including the penumbral phases, will end at 3:01 a.m. EDT.

The phenomenon occurs when Earth passes directly between the Sun and the Moon, blocking direct sunlight. Some light is filtered through Earth's atmosphere, which scatters shorter blue wavelengths and allows longer red wavelengths to reach the Moon, potentially casting it in shades of red, orange, or copper. Because the eclipse is not total, it is...