Partial Lunar Eclipse in North America Sky & Telescope

Contacts:
Meg Thacher, Associate Editor
(202) 328-2010 x22182, [email protected]

Edwin L. Aguirre, Associate Editor
(617) 500-6793 x131, [email protected]

Susanna Kohler, Director of Communications & Media Relations, American Astronomical Society
(202) 328-2010 ×127, [email protected]

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Note to Editors/Producers: This release is accompanied by high-quality graphics; see the end of this release for the images and links to download.

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Two weeks after Europe’s total solar eclipse, a deep partial lunar eclipse will grace our skies. On August 27–28, 93% of the lunar disk enters the darkest portion of Earth’s shadow, called the umbra, creating a nearly total eclipse. The tiny sliver along the upper edge that remains outside the umbra is dimmed by the outer part of Earth’s shadow, the penumbra.

Virtually all of the contiguous U.S., the eastern two-thirds of Canada, and all of South America will get to watch the umbral shadow cover and uncover the lunar disk. The northwestern U.S. and Canada will see the partial eclipse already in progress as the Moon rises. Europe, Africa, and the Middle East will see the Moon set during the partial phase.

During the eclipse, Earth’s shadow is seen gradually creeping across the face of the full Moon until the entire lunar disk glows deep orange or red. Then the sequence of events unfolds in reverse order, until the shadow leaves the lunar disk completely and the Moon returns to full brilliance.

When to Watch

Unlike a total solar eclipse, which can only be seen from a long, narrow track across Earth’s surface, a lunar eclipse can be watched from the entire nighttime hemisphere facing the Moon. Lunar eclipses are longer than solar eclipses, too, so you’ll have plenty of time (well over an hour) to enjoy this one.  

In North America, most of the eclipse occurs on the evening of August 27th in your local time zone. For example, on the East Coast, the partial eclipse begins at 10:33 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time; the darkening is greatest just after midnight (12:13 a.m.) on the 28th; and the Moon leaves the umbra at 1:52 a.m. On the West Coast, the corresponding Pacific times are 7:33 p.m., 9:13 p.m., and 10:52 p.m., all on the evening of the 27th. The table below gives times for U.S. time zones. (Note: Times in bold type are for August 28th).

Eclipse phases by time zone on August 27 and August 28, 2026
Eclipse Event	UT	EDT	CDT	MDT	PDT	AKDT	HAST
Penumbra first visible	~2:00	~10:00 p.m.	~9:00 p.m.	~8:00 p.m.	~7:00 p.m.	~6:00 p.m.	~4:00 p.m.
Partial eclipse begins	2:33	10:33 p.m.	9:33 p.m.	8:33 p.m.	7:33 p.m.	6:33 p.m.	4:33 p.m.
Greatest eclipse	4:13	12:13 a.m.	11:13 p.m.	10:13 p.m.	9:13 p.m.	8:13 p.m.	6:13 p.m.
Partial eclipse ends	5:52	1:52 a.m.	12:52 a.m.	11:52 p.m.	10:52 p.m.	9:52 p.m.	7:52 p.m.
Penumbra last visible	~6:15	~2:15 a.m.	~1:15 a.m.	~12:15 a.m.	~11:15 p.m.	~10:15 p.m.	~8:15 p.m.
Note: Times in bold type are for August 28th.
Source: U.S. Naval Observatory

what to watch for

A lunar eclipse happens when the Sun, Earth, and a full Moon form a near-perfect lineup in space, known as syzygy. The Moon gradually glides into Earth’s shadow until most of the lunar disk turns from silvery gray to a dim, eerie orange or red. Then events unfold in reverse order until the Moon returns to full brilliance.

The eclipse occurs in five stages, each of which has different things to observe. “You’ll only need your eyes to witness the spectacle unfold, and no special eye protection,” says S&T Associate Editor Edwin L. Aguirre. “The eclipsed Moon will look even more striking through binoculars or a small telescope.”

(1) The Moon’s leading edge enters the pale outer fringe of Earth’s shadow, the penumbra. You probably won’t notice anything until the Moon is about halfway across the penumbra. Watch for a slight darkening on the Moon’s leading edge. The penumbral shading becomes stronger as the Moon moves deeper in.

(2) The Moon’s leading edge enters the umbra, the central cone of Earth’s shadow. You should notice a dramatic darkening on the lower left edge of the lunar disk as seen from North America. With a telescope, you can watch the edge of the umbra slowly crossing one lunar feature after another, as the entire sky begins to grow darker.

(3) The trailing edge of the Moon slips into the umbra for the beginning of maximum eclipse. The Moon will glow some shade of coppery red or burnt orange. “This reddish light comes from all the sunrises and sunsets around Earth’s rim at the moment of the eclipse,” explains S&T Associate Editor Meg Thacher. “Our atmosphere deflects that light into the umbra.” In a total lunar eclipse, the entire Moon turns a dim red. During this deep partial eclipse, a sliver of the lunar disk’s upper edge will still shine brightly, even at mid-eclipse.

(4) As the Moon continues moving along its orbit, the sliver of light will grow and expand downwards.

(5) When all of the Moon escapes the umbra, only the last, penumbral shading is left. About 45 minutes later, nothing unusual will remain visible.

After this deep partial lunar eclipse, the Western Hemisphere has a long dry spell — the next total lunar eclipse won’t occur until New Year’s Eve, 2028 (for Alaska and far-western Canada), and June 26, 2029 (for the rest of the Americas).  

You can read more about the August 27th total lunar eclipse on Sky & Telescope’s website and in our August 2026 issue.

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