Astronomy Essentials

Partial lunar eclipse of the August 27-28 full Sturgeon Moon

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August 21, 2026

Map of the Earth almost entirely dark, centered on Atlantic Ocean. — View full map. | Map showing the areas of visibility for the August 27-28, 2026, partial lunar eclipse. Image via Dominic Ford from In-the-sky.org. Used with permission.

People in Africa, Europe, Scandinavia, Iceland, parts of Greenland, Antarctica, most of the Americas and eastern Pacific Ocean will see a deep partial lunar eclipse overnight on August 27-28, 2026.

The whole half of Earth facing the full moon – that is, the whole half of Earth that’s in nighttime – will see the lunar eclipse. It’s well placed for the Western Hemisphere. Of course, lunar eclipses are safe to view with the unaided eye. Binoculars and telescopes aren’t required to view a lunar eclipse, but they do enhance the view.

At this eclipse, about 93% of the moon will enter Earth’s dark umbral shadow. For the most part, the August 27-28, 2026, lunar eclipse will appear nearly as a total lunar eclipse of the moon. In other words, as the eclipse progresses and is near maximum eclipse, you should notice the red glow of totality and bright white patch along the moon’s northeastern limb.

Check timeanddate.com for precise timing from your location.

When the lunar eclipse occurs worldwide

Penumbral eclipse begins at 1:23:32 UTC on August 28, 2026. Earth’s lighter penumbral shadow will begin crossing the moon’s face. You probably won’t notice it at first. But, as the eclipse progresses, you should see a subtle shading on the moon.
Partial eclipse begins at 2:33:25 UTC on August 28, 2026. Now it’ll appear as if a tiny, but dark, bite is taken from one edge of the moon.
Greatest eclipse at 4:41:48 UTC on August 28, 2026. About 93% – nearly the total – of the moon will be eclipsed by Earth’s dark shadow.
Partial eclipse ends at 5:52:12 UTC on August 28, 2026.
Penumbral eclipse ends at 7:02:03 UTC on August 28, 2026.

A full moon with the top half darkened. — View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Arya Jayatilaka in Kalamazoo, Michigan, caught this view of the September 17, 2024, partial eclipsed moon. Thank you, Arya!

Visit timeanddate.com to get an exact timing of the eclipse from your location.

Animated map of the lunar eclipse.

How long will it last?

From start to finish, the eclipse will last 339 minutes. And the moon will be in Earth’s dark shadow – for the partial eclipse – for 199 minutes.

Diagram of the sun on left, Earth in the middle casting shadow, moon in shadow on right. — During a lunar eclipse, Earth’s shadow falls on the moon. So if the moon passes through the dark central shadow of Earth – the umbra – a partial or total lunar eclipse takes place. But if the moon only passes through the outer part of the shadow (the penumbra), a subtle penumbral eclipse occurs. Diagram via Fred Espenak’s Lunar Eclipses for Beginners. Used with permission.

Moon and Saros

The moment of greatest eclipse takes place 5.8 days after the moon reaches apogee, its farthest point from Earth for the month.

The Saros catalog describes the periodicity of eclipses. This August 27-28 total lunar eclipse belongs to Saros 138. It is number 29 of 82 eclipses in the series. All eclipses in this series occur at the moon’s ascending node. The moon moves southward with respect to the node with each succeeding eclipse in the series.

The instant of greatest eclipse – when the axis of the moon’s shadow cone passes closest to Earth’s center – takes place at 4:41 UTC on August 28. The moon will lie at zenith – directly overhead – at a point in the Brazilian Amazon.

Who can see lunar eclipses?

A full moon is up only at night. And a total lunar eclipse is visible from all parts of Earth that are experiencing night while the eclipse is taking place. But some will see the eclipse more clearly, or more thoroughly, than others, depending on location. For example, some will see it at moonrise or moonset, when the moon is low in the sky.

The constellation behind the partial lunar eclipse

The August 28, 2026, partial lunar eclipse occurs when the moon is in the constellation of Aquarius the Water Bearer.

Find the moon’s path with respect to Earth’s umbral and penumbral shadows below.

Chart showing the moon in eclipse and map of Earth with coverage. — A map for the partial lunar eclipse on August 27-28, 2026. It sweeps across Africa, Europe, Scandinavia, Iceland, parts of Greenland, Antarctica, most of the Americas and eastern Pacific Ocean. Areas in white on the map will see all of the partial eclipse. The line down the middle notes where the greatest eclipse occurs. Shaded areas will see part of the eclipse and dark areas are where the eclipse is not visible. Note the difference between UTC and TD (terrestrial dynamical time, often abbreviated TT as well). Key to lunar eclipse maps here. Image via Fred Espenak/ EclipseWise. Used with permission.

Maps and data for the total lunar eclipse

More resources

Submit your lunar eclipse photo to EarthSky here.

EarthSky’s monthly night sky guide: Visible planets and more

Bottom line: A deep partial lunar eclipse takes place on August 27-28, 2026, visible in Africa, Europe, Scandinavia, Iceland, parts of Greenland, Antarctica, most of the Americas and eastern Pacific Ocean. Maps and details here.

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August 21, 2026

Astronomy Essentials

Marcy Curran

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About the Author:

Meet Marcy Curran, our voice of the night sky on EarthSky YouTube. Check out her popular short videos in the Sky category on our YouTube channel. When she's not making videos, Marcy is an EarthSky editor, helping to keep our night sky guide up-to-date and just generally helping to keep the wheels turning around here. Marcy has enjoyed stargazing since she was a child, going on family camping trips under the dark skies of Wyoming. She bought her first telescope in time to see Halley’s Comet when it visited the inner solar system in 1986. She co-founded her local astronomy club and remains an active board member. Marcy taught astronomy at her local community college for over 20 years. She and her husband live in Wyoming, in a rural location, with an all-sky camera and super-good horizon views! And, their observatory will soon be ready to photograph the night sky.

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