Near-Total Lunar Eclipse Will Darken Skies Across Americas

A deep partial lunar eclipse will plunge 96 percent of the full Sturgeon Moon into Earth's dark inner shadow from late Thursday night, Aug. 27, into early Friday morning, Aug. 28, 2026. Skywatchers across North and South America, as well as parts of Western Europe and Western Africa, will be able to observe the phenomenon without any special eye protection.

The event serves as the final installment of an "almost tetrad" of four lunar eclipses that began in March 2025. Although technically classified as a partial eclipse, the shadow will cover nearly the entire lunar surface, causing the Moon to take on a reddish-copper hue similar to a total eclipse.

According to astronomical data reported by Space.com, the celestial showcase begins with the penumbral phase at 9:23 p.m. EDT on Aug. 27 as Earth's faint outer shadow reaches the Moon. The darkening will be faint at first, becoming noticeable only as the lunar disk approaches the central shadow.

The umbral phase begins at 10:33 p.m. EDT when Earth's dark inner shadow takes its first distinct bite near the southwestern edge of the Moon. The shadow will progressively swallow craters across the lunar surface over the next hour.

Peak eclipse will occur at 12:12 a.m. EDT on Aug. 28, leaving only a thin sliver of the Moon exposed to direct sunlight. Sunbeams filtering through Earth's atmosphere during maximum alignment will project a distinct reddish-copper color onto the obscured lunar surface.

Earth's inner shadow will begin receding shortly after peak alignment, completely clearing the lunar disk by 1:51 a.m. EDT on Aug. 28. The outer penumbral shadow will fully exit the Moon at 3:01 a.m. EDT, marking the end of the event.

Local observation times will vary across time zones, with peak eclipse occurring at 11:12 p.m. CDT on Thursday night in central regions like Nashville, Tennessee, and the Twin Cities. Weather forecasts indicate mostly clear skies for optimum viewing in several major regions.

Astronomers note that this partial eclipse is the deepest in the Saros 138 eclipse cycle, a repeating family of eclipses that began in 1521. The next event in the Saros 138 series, scheduled for 2044, will reach full totality. Meanwhile, the next full lunar eclipse visible in parts of Asia, Australia, and Europe will take place on New Year's Eve in 2028.