Next lunar eclipse and blood Moon: date, type and local times
The next penumbral lunar eclipse on , greatest at . At the peak the Moon is only in the faint outer shadow.
Is it visible from your place?
The next eclipse
At a glance
- Kind
- Penumbral
- Greatest eclipse
- Moon in the dark shadow
- 0%
- Totality
- None Whole event 242 min
Contact timeline
Stages of the 2027-02-20 penumbral eclipse
Contact times are shown in your local time zone. Peak eclipse occurs at .
Visibility
Visibility in major world cities
Whether the Moon is above the horizon at the moment of greatest eclipse, in each city's local time.
| City or region | Local time of greatest eclipse | How much is covered |
|---|---|---|
| New York United States | Penumbral (partial coverage) | |
| Los Angeles United States | Below horizon (not visible) | |
| Chicago United States | Penumbral (partial coverage) | |
| London United Kingdom | Penumbral (full coverage) | |
| Paris France | Penumbral (full coverage) | |
| Cairo Egypt | Penumbral (full coverage) | |
| Tokyo Japan | Penumbral (partial coverage) | |
| Sydney Australia | Below horizon (not visible) | |
| São Paulo Brazil | Penumbral (partial coverage) | |
| Honolulu United States | Below horizon (not visible) |
Local view
Observing from your location
The Moon passes only through the faint outer shadow, so it dims slightly and no dark bite shows. A lunar eclipse can be watched from anywhere the Moon is above the horizon while it happens. Use the form at the top to check your place.
All stages
Every stage of the penumbral eclipse
Times convert to your own time zone in the browser. The whole event takes 242 min.
| Stage | Time |
|---|---|
| Penumbral eclipse begins (P1) | |
| Greatest eclipse | |
| Penumbral eclipse ends (P4) |
Schedule
The next 5 lunar eclipses
| Date | Type | Moon in the dark shadow | Totality |
|---|---|---|---|
| penumbral | 0% | none | |
| penumbral | 0% | none | |
| penumbral | 0% | none | |
| partial | 3% | none | |
| partial | 33% | none |
Atmospheric optics
Why the Moon turns red: the Blood Moon explained
During a total lunar eclipse, Earth blocks direct sunlight from hitting the lunar surface. If Earth had no atmosphere, the Moon would go completely black.
Instead, sunlight passes through the ring of Earth’s atmosphere along the sunrise and sunset rim. Shorter blue wavelengths of light are scattered away by air molecules (the same process that makes the daytime sky blue), while longer red and orange wavelengths bend (refract) around Earth and project onto the Moon.
An observer standing on the Moon during totality would see Earth as a dark silhouette surrounded by a fiery ring of every sunrise and sunset happening simultaneously on the planet.
- Direct sunlight
- 100% blocked by Earth's solid body
- Illumination source
- Refracted sunlight through Earth's atmosphere
- Rayleigh scattering
- Scatters blue light; red wavelengths pass through
- Danjon scale
- 0 (very dark) to 4 (bright copper-orange)
- Eye safety
- 100% safe to watch with naked eyes or binoculars
Three shadow regions
Total, partial and penumbral lunar eclipses
Earth casts two concentric shadows into space: an inner, dark cone called the umbra, where all direct sunlight is blocked, and a broader outer region called the penumbra, where only part of the Sun is obscured.
Total. The entire Moon passes inside the umbra. Totality can last over an hour and a half, during which the Moon takes on its characteristic deep red or copper hue.
Partial. Only a portion of the lunar disc passes through the umbra. A distinct, curved dark shadow creeps across the face while the remaining portion remains brightly sunlit.
Penumbral. The Moon passes only through the faint penumbra. There is no dark bite; the Moon merely dims slightly, which can be subtle to casual observers.
- Total lunar eclipse
- Entire Moon enters Earth's dark umbra
- Partial lunar eclipse
- Part of Moon enters umbra; dark bite visible
- Penumbral lunar eclipse
- Moon only passes through faint outer penumbra
- Earth umbra width
- About 2.6 times the Moon's diameter at lunar distance
- Maximum totality length
- Up to 107 minutes
Orbital cycles
How often do lunar eclipses happen?
Every year has at least two lunar eclipses, and some years can have as many as four or five (counting penumbral events). They occur in pairs with solar eclipses roughly every six months during eclipse seasons.
Because the Moon’s orbit is tilted 5.145 degrees to the ecliptic, a lunar eclipse can only occur when a full Moon falls within about 11 degrees of a lunar node—the intersection points where the Moon’s orbit crosses the plane of Earth’s orbit.
Eclipses repeat in cycles known as the Saros: after 18 years, 11 days, and 8 hours (223 synodic months), the Sun, Earth, and Moon return to almost identical relative geometry, producing an eclipse with nearly identical characteristics.
- Lunar orbit inclination
- 5.145° relative to the ecliptic
- Draconic month
- 27.212 days (node to node)
- Eclipse season
- Occurs roughly every 173.3 days
- Saros cycle
- 18.03 years (6,585.3 days / 223 synodic months)
- Frequency per year
- 2 to 5 lunar eclipses globally
Questions people ask
Quick answers
What is a blood Moon?
A total lunar eclipse. Sunlight bent through Earth's air still reaches the Moon, which turns red.
Is a lunar eclipse safe to watch?
Yes. Unlike a solar eclipse you can watch with the eyes, binoculars or a telescope.
Can everyone see a lunar eclipse?
Everyone on the night side of Earth while the Moon is up. Use the place check above for your city.
How long does a lunar eclipse last?
The whole event takes several hours; totality, when there is one, lasts up to about an hour and a half.
What are the three kinds?
Total, partial and penumbral, depending on how much of Earth's dark shadow covers the Moon.