Total Lunar Eclipse of December 31, 2028
- Type
- Total lunar eclipse
- Peak (UTC)
- December 31, 2028, 16:51 UTC
- Moon covered
- 100% of the Moon's disk inside the umbra at maximum
- Totality lasts
- about 72 minutes
- Saros series
- 125
Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia all see the eclipse on the night of December 31; the Americas largely miss it.
A total lunar eclipse on New Year's Eve: the Moon spends well over an hour fully inside Earth's umbra, glowing the deep copper of a blood Moon as the year turns. For most of Europe and Africa it happens conveniently in the evening.
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.
| Stage | Time |
|---|---|
| Penumbral eclipse begins | 14:03 UTC |
| Partial (umbral) eclipse begins | 15:07 UTC |
| Totality begins | 16:15 UTC |
| Maximum eclipse | 16:51 UTC |
| Totality ends | 17:28 UTC |
| Partial (umbral) eclipse ends | 18:36 UTC |
| Penumbral eclipse ends | 19:40 UTC |
What you will see from your location
Enter a location (or use your device's) and we check whether the Moon is above your horizon at each stage of the eclipse, all in your browser.
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What a total lunar eclipse is
In a total lunar eclipse the full Moon passes completely inside Earth's umbra, the dark core of our planet's shadow. Sunlight bent through Earth's atmosphere still reaches the Moon and paints it a deep copper red, the blood Moon. Unlike a solar eclipse, a lunar eclipse is visible from the entire night side of Earth at once and is completely safe to watch with no equipment at all.
Frequently asked questions
When is the total lunar eclipse of December 2028?
Greatest eclipse comes on December 31, 2028 at 16:51 UTC. What you see, and when, depends on where you stand; use the location panel on this page for your own local timeline.
Where will the December 2028 lunar eclipse be visible?
Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia all see the eclipse on the night of December 31; the Americas largely miss it.
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 125. Our Saros cycle profile explains the whole mechanism.
Keep exploring: the Eclipse Explorer for any date and location, our Saros cycle profile for why eclipses repeat, and how eclipses work from first principles.