Guides
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 2026-08
The next lunar eclipses
| Date (UTC) | Type |
|---|---|
| August 28, 2026 | Partial — a bite of the Earth's umbra |
| February 20–21, 2027 | Penumbral — a subtle shading only |
| July 18, 2027 | Penumbral |
| August 17, 2027 | Penumbral |
| January 11–12, 2028 | Partial |
| July 6, 2028 | Partial |
| December 31, 2028 | Total — a blood moon for New Year's Eve |
| June 26, 2029 | Total |
| December 20–21, 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 March 2–3, 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.
Three depths of eclipse exist. 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 the Moon lit dimly, perfectly safe to watch, 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 December 31, 2028 (UTC). Before that, a partial eclipse on August 28, 2026 will darken part of the disc, and 2027 offers only subtle penumbral eclipses.
- Do I need eclipse glasses for a lunar eclipse?
- No — that is 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° against the Earth's orbit. Most full moons pass above or below the Earth's shadow; only when the alignment is right — around twice a year — does an eclipse occur 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.