Near-Total Lunar Eclipse Nears Aug. 27

A 93–96% partial lunar eclipse on Aug. 27-28 will be the deepest until New Year's Eve 2028.

On the night of Thursday, August 27 into the early hours of Friday, August 28, a partial lunar eclipse will unfold as Earth passes between the sun and the moon during the monthly full moon phase. According to Space.com, Earth's shadow will swallow up to 96% of the lunar surface, potentially turning the moon a gorgeous shade of crimson. NBC News reports that almost the entire lunar surface will be masked, calling it an especially deep partial eclipse. The event coincides with the Sturgeon Moon, the next full moon on August 28.

This eclipse stops just short of true totality, leaving a thin crescent of the moon exposed to direct sunlight at maximum eclipse. Space.com describes it as an 'almost blood moon' with nearly the entire lunar surface glowing a deep reddish-orange. Florida Today, citing NASA, reports that about 93% of the moon's diameter will be inside Earth's dark central shadow, or umbra, at maximum eclipse. Because the alignment is imperfect, it is classified as partial rather than total, yet Space.com says it is expected to look remarkably similar to a total lunar eclipse.

ABC13 Houston reports the best views will be in the eastern United States and Canada and all of Central and South America, with western viewers still catching part of the show. The partial eclipse begins around 10:33 p.m. ET on Thursday, reaches greatest coverage around 12:12 a.m. ET Friday, and ends by approximately 3:03 a.m. ET, according to ABC13. Space.com notes the eclipse will be visible to roughly 3.3 billion people across the Americas, Europe, Africa, and parts of western Asia. In Europe and Africa, the moon will be setting during the eclipse, cutting the spectacle short.

The Weather Channel offers an early regional forecast for U.S. skywatchers. The outlet suggests scattered showers and thunderstorms may periodically cloud the Northeast, while the South could see scattered storms but with enough breaks for viewing, especially in Oklahoma and Texas. The Midwest is expected to have relatively good conditions, with possible thunderstorms only over parts of the Central Plains. The West, under high pressure, should enjoy great viewing except for isolated storms or wildfire smoke. The Weather Channel cautions that pinpointing storm placement remains difficult several days out.

NBC News highlights that this lunar eclipse is the second act of an eclipse pair, arriving two weeks after the August 12 total solar eclipse that crossed Greenland, Iceland, and Spain. The outlet explains that eclipses travel in pairs because the sun, moon, and Earth align so precisely that one obscures the other, noting the cosmic coincidence that the moon is 400 times smaller than the sun while the sun is 400 times farther away. Florida Today identifies this as the fourth eclipse overall in 2026 and the year's second lunar eclipse, following a total lunar eclipse in March.

Space.com calls this the deepest lunar eclipse anywhere on Earth until New Year's Eve 2028, when a total lunar eclipse will roll into January 1, 2029. Florida Today echoes that timeframe, noting the next total lunar blackout will not occur until December 31, 2028, with Asia and Australia at center stage, and that it will be 2029 before North and South America see another full eclipse of the moon. For now, no special glasses are needed—Space.com and ABC13 both confirm the eclipse is safe to view with the naked eye, though binoculars or a telescope can enhance the experience.