On the night of Aug. 27–28, a very significant partial lunar eclipse will see Earth’s shadow cover more than 96% of the full moon. Although it falls just short of becoming a total lunar eclipse — and therefore isn’t technically a “blood moon” — much of the lunar surface will turn a coppery red. It will also be the deepest lunar eclipse anywhere in the world until the next total lunar eclipse on Dec. 31, 2028.
A “blood moon” (lunar eclipse) occurs when Earth lines up between the Moon and the Sun. When this happens, the only light that reaches the Moon’s surface is from the edges of Earth’s atmosphere. The air molecules from Earth’s atmosphere scatter out most of the blue light. The remaining light reflects onto the Moon’s surface with a red glow, making the Moon appear red in the night sky. As a result, the shadow often appears as a deep orange or copper color, hence the term “blood moon” (it is also called the red moon). It will be a full moon. (The scattering of the sun’s rays is the same effect that turns the sky pink, orange, and red at sunrise and sunset.)
While not as rare as a solar eclipse, a lunar eclipse is still a significant astronomical event. It is the opposite of a solar eclipse when the moon blocks the sun from the Earth for a very short period. In this case the Earth is casting a shadow on the moon. A blood moon can be seen from anywhere in the world at nighttime.
Unlike a solar eclipse, a lunar eclipse is completely safe to observe with the naked eye and unfolds slowly over several hours (rather than minutes like a solar eclipse). On the East Coast, the partial eclipse of the Sturgeon Moon begins at 10:33 p.m. EDT on August 27, and maximum eclipse occurs at 12:12 a.m. EDT on August 28. (Let’s hope that it is not overcast.)
Solar and lunar eclipses often come in pairs because they occur during the same eclipse season — a period of about 34 days when the sun, Earth and moon line up closely enough for eclipses to occur. A solar eclipse happens at new moon, when the moon passes between Earth and the sun. Then, about two weeks later, at full moon, the alignment can produce a lunar eclipse as the moon passes through Earth’s shadow. A solar eclipse appeared in Europe on August 12, 2026.
The lunar eclipse will favor us in North and South America, where every stage will be visible high in the night sky. Europe gets a different experience, with the eclipse occurring before dawn as the moon sinks toward the western horizon.
I hope that I don’t miss it.