Eclipse planner
Next lunar eclipses, 2027 to 2029: when and where to see them
There are no total or partial lunar eclipses in 2027, only three faint penumbral ones. The next total lunar eclipses are on 31 December 2028, 26 June 2029, 20 December 2029, with 1 h 12 min, 1 h 43 min and 55 min of totality. On 31 December 2028 the moon rises over Europe during the eclipse, so the horizon decides what you see: from Chamonix the eclipsed moon clears the mountains at 18:49, after totality has ended.
See the eclipsed moon clear the ridge at Chamonix →
Every lunar eclipse to the end of 2029
Times are UTC, so the same instant everywhere the moon is up. The umbral phase is when part of the moon is in the Earth's dark shadow and the bite is obvious; totality is when all of it is, and the moon turns copper red. A penumbral eclipse only dims the moon slightly, and most people would not notice one without being told.
| Date (UTC) | Type | Greatest eclipse | Umbral phase | Totality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 February 2027 | Penumbral | 23:12 | None | None |
| 18 July 2027 | Penumbral | 16:03 | None | None |
| 17 August 2027 | Penumbral | 07:13 | None | None |
| 12 January 2028 | Partial | 04:13 | 03:43 to 04:42 | None · 2.7% of the moon in shadow |
| 6 July 2028 | Partial | 18:19 | 17:08 to 19:31 | None · 33.2% of the moon in shadow |
| 31 December 2028 | Total | 16:52 | 15:07 to 18:36 | 16:15 to 17:28 · 1 h 12 min |
| 26 June 2029 | Total | 03:22 | 01:32 to 05:12 | 02:30 to 04:13 · 1 h 43 min |
| 20 December 2029 | Total | 22:42 | 20:55 to 00:29 | 22:14 to 23:09 · 55 min |
Where the moon is up
A lunar eclipse is visible from everywhere the moon is above the horizon at the time, which is roughly half the Earth. This is the moon's height at greatest eclipse, for each eclipse with an umbral phase. Where it is low, the eclipse happens near moonrise or moonset, and the local skyline matters.
| City | 12 January 2028 Partial | 6 July 2028 Partial | 31 December 2028 Total | 26 June 2029 Total | 20 December 2029 Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 38° | Below horizon | Below horizon | 3° · low | Below horizon |
| New York | 69° | Below horizon | Below horizon | 21° | 12° |
| London | 35° | Below horizon | 7° · low | 3° · low | 58° |
| Madrid | 38° | Below horizon | Below horizon | 12° | 64° |
| Cairo | 8° · low | 14° | 22° | Below horizon | 77° |
| Delhi | Below horizon | 37° | 62° | Below horizon | 37° |
| Tokyo | Below horizon | 12° | 59° | Below horizon | Below horizon |
| Sydney | Below horizon | 32° | 19° | Below horizon | Below horizon |
When the moon is low, the skyline decides
Two of the three total eclipses happen with the moon low for large audiences. On 31 December 2028 the moon rises over Europe during the eclipse, in the last of the evening twilight. On the evening of 25 June 2029, local time in California, it rises in totality, around sunset. A flat-horizon moonrise time is not enough then: in the mountains the eclipse can be over before the moon clears the ridge.
| Place | Eclipse | Totality, local | Moon up, flat horizon | Moon clears the skyline | Umbral phase ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Innsbruck city centre, Austria | 31 December 2028 | 17:15 to 18:28 | 16:26 | 16:57 | 19:36 |
| Lauterbrunnen valley floor, Switzerland | 31 December 2028 | 17:15 to 18:28 | 16:43 | Not before the end | 19:36 |
| Chamonix valley floor, France | 31 December 2028 | 17:15 to 18:28 | 16:50 | 18:49 | 19:36 |
| Yosemite Valley valley floor, California | 26 June 2029 | 19:30 to 21:13 | 20:22 | Not before the end | 22:12 |
- Chamonix: on a flat horizon the moon would be up at 16:50, before totality. The mountains to the north-east hold it back until 18:49, after totality has ended, so from the valley floor you see only the last of the partial phase.
- Innsbruck: the moon clears the skyline at 16:57, 31 min after a flat-horizon moonrise, and in time for totality.
- Lauterbrunnen and Yosemite Valley: from the valley floor the moon does not clear the walls before the umbral phase is over. To see these eclipses there, climb out of the valley.
Times are for the centre of the moon against the computed skyline, sampled each minute. Trees and buildings are not modelled.
Watching one
A lunar eclipse is safe to watch with the naked eye, binoculars or a telescope: you are looking at the moon in shadow, not at the sun. It unfolds slowly, over hours, and the colour in totality varies from one eclipse to the next with the state of the Earth's atmosphere. For photographs, the darkened moon needs far longer exposures than the full moon a few minutes before.
Check your own spot
Open Heliora, place the pin and set the eclipse date. The 3D sky draws the Earth's shadow on the moon at each minute, against your skyline, and Events, then Eclipses, lists the lunar eclipses ahead. The Moonrise time in the Light & Moon card is measured against the terrain once it has loaded.
How these numbers are computed, and where they can be wrong: Method and accuracy.