Lunar eclipses
A lunar eclipse happens when the moon passes into Earth's shadow. Some are total and turn the moon copper red; others clip only the edge, or dim it so faintly you would miss it if nobody told you. Here is every one from 2023 to 2030, with how much of the moon each eclipse actually covers.
Next lunar eclipse
Where you can see it
A lunar eclipse can be seen from anywhere the moon is above the horizon while it lasts — a little under half the planet at any one time. Which stages you catch depends on where you are, and on whether the moon rises or sets partway through.
Set your location above to see which stages are visible from where you are.
Upcoming lunar eclipses
| Date | Type | Moon covered | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penumbral | — | ||
| Penumbral | — | ||
| Penumbral | — | ||
| Partial | 7% | ||
| Partial | 39% | ||
| Total | 100% | ||
| Total | 100% | ||
| Total | 100% | ||
| Partial | 50% | ||
| Penumbral | — |
Penumbral eclipses show a dash: the moon never reaches the dark umbra at all, only the soft outer shadow, and the dimming is subtle enough that most people looking up would not notice it.
Recent lunar eclipses
| Partial | 93% | ||
| Total | 100% | ||
| Total | 100% | ||
| Total | 100% | ||
| Partial | 9% | ||
| Penumbral | — | ||
| Partial | 12% | ||
| Penumbral | — |
How to watch
No equipment and no eye protection. Unlike a solar eclipse, a lunar eclipse is completely safe to look at directly — you are looking at reflected light, nothing more.
Binoculars help. They deepen the colour and make the curved edge of Earth's shadow crossing the craters much easier to see.
Let your eyes adapt for fifteen minutes and get away from direct light. Penumbral eclipses are subtle; a partial or total one is unmistakable.
Why not at every full moon
A lunar eclipse needs the sun, Earth and moon in a near-perfect line, with Earth in the middle casting its shadow onto the moon. That is the geometry of every full moon — so why not monthly?
Because the moon's orbit is tilted about 5° to Earth's orbit around the sun. Most full moons pass above or below the shadow and nothing happens. Only when a full moon falls near one of the two points where the orbits cross does the moon actually enter the umbra.
The red colour of a total eclipse is sunlight bent through Earth's atmosphere and filtered of its blue — the same physics that makes sunsets red. During totality you are watching every sunrise and sunset on Earth projected at once onto the moon.
When is the next lunar eclipse?
The next is a penumbral eclipse on Saturday, 20 February 2027, with — of the moon inside Earth's shadow.
What is the difference between a total, partial and penumbral eclipse?
In a total eclipse the whole moon enters the dark umbra and usually turns red. In a partial, only some of it does. In a penumbral, the moon passes through the faint outer shadow only and merely dims — often imperceptibly.
Do I need eye protection for a lunar eclipse?
No. A lunar eclipse is safe to watch with the naked eye. Only solar eclipses require protection.
How often do lunar eclipses happen?
Between two and five each year, though many are penumbral and barely noticeable. Total eclipses are the rare ones worth travelling for.