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Deep Partial Lunar Eclipse Will Darken Most of the Moon Over North America

The near‑total shadow offers a chance to see how Earth’s atmosphere colors the Moon through refracted sunset light.

During a deep partial eclipse, the majority — but not quite all — of the Moon passes through Earth’s umbra, the darkest part of our planet’s shadow. Credit: Gene Ellison (Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
The Moon during a partial lunar eclipse: a bright crescent on one limb, with the rest of the disc dark inside Earth umbral shadow.
The "Blood Moon" rises during a total lunar eclipse in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines, March 3, 2026.

Overview

  • The deep partial lunar eclipse begins late on Thursday, Aug. 27, and will reach greatest eclipse at about 12:12 a.m. EDT on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026.
  • NASA calculations list the umbral magnitude as 0.930, meaning about 93% of the Moon’s diameter will be inside Earth’s dark umbra at maximum while area‑based obscuration measures are near 96%.
  • All of North America will see at least part of the event, with eastern regions seeing the fullest view and many western locations seeing the eclipse already in progress at moonrise or missing the deepest phase.
  • The Moon may appear as a dark, ‘bitten’ disk with a bright crescent rather than uniformly red because the small bright rim can outshine the shadowed area, and any copper tint will depend on local atmospheric clarity.
  • Viewing is safe without filters for the naked eye, binoculars or a small telescope will enhance detail, agencies and projects plan live streams and imagery, and this eclipse closes the current eclipse season ahead of the next North American total in 2029.