When is the next blood moon?

The next total lunar eclipse, the kind that turns the Moon red, is on 31 December 2028 (UTC). Before that, a partial eclipse on 28 August 2026 will darken part of the disc, and 2027 offers only subtle penumbral eclipses.

Do I need eclipse glasses for a lunar eclipse?

No; glasses are for solar eclipses. A lunar eclipse is just the Moon, dimmer than usual; it is entirely safe to watch with the naked eye, binoculars or any telescope.

Why isn't there an eclipse every full moon?

Because the Moon's orbit is tilted about 5° to the Earth's. Most full moons pass above or below the Earth's shadow. The alignment is right only around twice a year, and only then can an eclipse happen, somewhere on Earth.

Can everyone see a lunar eclipse?

Everyone on the night side of Earth at the time, yes: roughly half the planet per eclipse. That is why a given city sees total lunar eclipses far more often than total solar ones.

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Lunar eclipses: the next dates, and why the Moon turns red

A lunar eclipse is the one night the phases lie: the full moon darkens, then glows copper-red. Here are the next dates, and the physics of that colour.

Facts checked August 2026

The dates in the table come from Plenilune, my lunar almanac app for iOS: computed with Jean Meeus's algorithms, given as the day of maximum in Universal Time.

The next lunar eclipses

Date (UTC)	Type
28 August 2026	Partial, a bite of the Earth's shadow
20–21 February 2027	Penumbral, a subtle shading only
18 July 2027	Penumbral
17 August 2027	Penumbral
11–12 January 2028	Partial
6 July 2028	Partial
31 December 2028	Total, a blood moon for New Year's Eve
26 June 2029	Total
20–21 December 2029	Total

Dates are given for Universal Time; depending on your time zone the eclipse may fall on the previous or next calendar day. Each eclipse is visible from roughly half the planet: wherever the Moon is above the horizon while it happens. The last total lunar eclipse was on 2–3 March 2026; the next one waits until the very end of 2028.

Why the eclipsed Moon turns red

A lunar eclipse happens when the full moon crosses the Earth's shadow. The shadow is not black: sunlight grazing the Earth is filtered and bent by our atmosphere, which scatters away the blues and lets the reds through, the same physics that makes sunsets red. What reaches the eclipsed Moon is, quite literally, the light of every sunrise and sunset on Earth at that moment. Hence the copper glow, and the popular name blood moon.

There are three depths of eclipse. Penumbral: the Moon crosses only the pale outer shadow, a shading most people never notice. Partial: a dark bite of the true shadow, the umbra, crosses the disc. Total: the whole Moon sits in the umbra and reddens, for up to about an hour and a half.

Watching one

A lunar eclipse asks nothing of you: no glasses, no filter, no telescope. It is simply the Moon, dimmer than usual, entirely safe for the eyes, and it unfolds slowly over hours. The only requirements are a clear sky and being on the right half of the Earth.

Questions

When is the next blood moon?: The next total lunar eclipse, the kind that turns the Moon red, is on 31 December 2028 (UTC). Before that, a partial eclipse on 28 August 2026 will darken part of the disc, and 2027 offers only subtle penumbral eclipses.
Do I need eclipse glasses for a lunar eclipse?: No; glasses are for solar eclipses. A lunar eclipse is just the Moon, dimmer than usual; it is entirely safe to watch with the naked eye, binoculars or any telescope.
Why isn't there an eclipse every full moon?: Because the Moon's orbit is tilted about 5° to the Earth's. Most full moons pass above or below the Earth's shadow. The alignment is right only around twice a year, and only then can an eclipse happen, somewhere on Earth.
Can everyone see a lunar eclipse?: Everyone on the night side of Earth at the time, yes: roughly half the planet per eclipse. That is why a given city sees total lunar eclipses far more often than total solar ones.