Near-Total Eclipse Paints Moon Blood Red

A 96% partial lunar eclipse produced an 'almost blood moon' visible worldwide on Aug 27-28, 2026.

Overnight on Aug. 27–28, 2026, skywatchers across multiple continents witnessed a deep partial lunar eclipse as Earth passed between the sun and the moon. According to Space, Earth's umbral shadow advanced to cover 96% of the lunar disk, leaving only a tiny crescent exposed to direct sunlight. The Colorado Sun reports that viewers in Colorado could expect 92% to 95% coverage during the eclipse's height. Though technically a partial event rather than a total eclipse, the depth of coverage was sufficient to bathe the moon in a dramatic crimson glow, earning it the nickname 'almost blood moon.' The partial phase began at 10:33 p.m. EDT on Aug. 27 (0233 GMT on Aug. 28), as documented by Space.

A partial eclipse typically leaves a bright, unshadowed sliver that dominates the visual field, making a full blood-red appearance unlikely. Yet according to Space, light filtering through Earth's atmosphere via Rayleigh Scattering saturated the shadowed lunar surface with red wavelengths, producing a color intensity that rivaled a total eclipse. Photographers from North Carolina to Brazil captured the moon glowing deep crimson despite the remaining sunlit crescent. The Colorado Sun described the event as one where 'a red-tinted moon will emerge across the entire state, visible to the naked eye,' noting that even without totality, the visual impact was significant enough to rival a true blood moon.

Robert Nemeti captured Earth's shadow taking its first 'bite' from the lunar disk over Hungary, while Costas Baltas photographed the eclipsed moon above the Parthenon in Athens, where Earth's curved silhouette was visible on the lunar surface. Giuseppe Pappa produced a composite image from Sicily using a Canon 760D with a 300 mm lens. Kevin McCarthy photographed the blood-red moon over North Carolina after thunderstorms briefly threatened to block the view, telling Space, 'at the last minute, as the maximum shadow coverage approached, the clouds parted long enough for me to get the shot.' Additional images came from the UK, Brazil, Turkey, Arizona, Italy, and Spain.

According to Space, the next great lunar eclipse will not arrive until New Year's Eve in December 2028, when a blood moon eclipse will be visible to 5.3 billion people across Asia, Australia, the Pacific, and parts of Europe, Africa, and the United States. However, skywatchers will have a sooner opportunity on Feb. 6, 2027, when an annular solar eclipse creates a 'ring of fire' along a path crossing South America and West Africa.