Partial Lunar Eclipse of August 28, 2026

The Americas catch the eclipse on the evening of August 27 local time; Europe and Africa see it before dawn on August 28, while farther east the Moon sets with the eclipse still in progress.

This is a deep partial eclipse: at maximum, most of the Moon sits inside Earth's umbra, so the shaded portion should show the coppery color of a total eclipse while a bright sliver remains.

Global timeline (UTC)

A lunar eclipse happens at the same instant for everyone; only your clock and your Moon's position differ. Convert from UTC, or use the location panel below to check whether the Moon is up at each stage for you.

What a partial lunar eclipse is

In a partial lunar eclipse only part of the full Moon passes through Earth's umbra, the dark core of our planet's shadow. The shadowed portion darkens dramatically, often with a reddish cast, while the rest of the Moon stays bright. Lunar eclipses are visible from the whole night side of Earth and are completely safe to watch with the naked eye.

Frequently asked questions

When was the partial lunar eclipse of August 2026?

Greatest eclipse came on August 28, 2026 at 04:12 UTC. What an observer saw depended on where they stood; the location panel on this page still computes any spot's local timeline.

Where was the August 2026 lunar eclipse visible?

The Americas catch the eclipse on the evening of August 27 local time; Europe and Africa see it before dawn on August 28, while farther east the Moon sets with the eclipse still in progress.

Is it safe to watch a lunar eclipse?

Completely. A lunar eclipse is just the full Moon passing through Earth's shadow; it needs no filters or equipment. Binoculars simply make it better.

What is a Saros series?

Eclipses repeat in families called Saros series: 6,585.3 days (about 18 years 11 days) after any eclipse, the Sun, Moon and lunar nodes return to nearly the same geometry and produce a near-copy shifted a third of the way around Earth. This eclipse belongs to Saros series 138. Our Saros cycle profile explains the whole mechanism.

Keep exploring: the Eclipse Control Center for a live console on this eclipse as it happens, the Eclipse Explorer for any date and location, our Saros cycle profile for why eclipses repeat, its longer partners the inex and the exeligmos that together sort every eclipse into families, the eclipse year of 346 days that sets the rhythm of eclipse seasons, and how eclipses work from first principles.

Other eclipses on the calendar

Every eclipse below is engine-verified against the same catalog, so the times are directly comparable.