The Almost Blood Moon | How to Watch August's 96% Deep Partial Lunar Eclipse

Stargazers who missed out on the total solar eclipse that swept across Greenland, Iceland, and Spain earlier this month are about to get a front-row seat for the universe's second act. On the night of Thursday, August 27 into the early morning of Friday, August 28, Earth's shadow will sweep across the lunar surface in an exceptionally deep partial lunar eclipse. While technically classified as a partial event, this celestial showcase promises to be far more dramatic than typical alignments. At its absolute peak, roughly 96.2 percent of the Moon's visible disc will slip directly into Earth's dark inner shadow, the umbra, leaving only a razor-thin, brilliant sliver of direct sunlight exposed on one edge. For observers on the ground, the dark, covered portion is expected to take on a glowing coppery-red or burnt-orange tint, creating a visual effect virtually indistinguishable from a full Blood Moon.

According to Space.com and MPR News, nearly 1 billion people across North and South America will enjoy prime, high-altitude overhead viewing conditions throughout the entire partial phase, provided local weather permits clear skies. For skywatchers in Western Europe and Africa, the eclipse will unfold in the early morning pre-dawn hours of August 28 as the Moon sits low along the western horizon.

Prime Position | Who Can See It and When

Unlike solar eclipses, which require viewers to travel to narrow geographic paths of totality, lunar eclipses are visible from anywhere on Earth where the Moon is above the horizon during the event. The entire partial phase will be visible across all of North, Central, and South America. Western Europe, West Africa, and parts of the Middle East will see partial visibility as the Moon sets during the eclipse. Eastern Asia, Australia, and New Zealand are out of bounds, with the Moon remaining below the horizon throughout.

The entire event, from the moment the Moon first enters the faint outer ring of Earth's shadow, the penumbra, to its final exit, spans approximately 5.5 hours. However, the true visual drama occurs during the 3-hour and 18-minute partial umbral phase, when Earth's dark shadow visibly bites into and covers the lunar surface. For viewers in the Eastern Time Zone, the distinct dark bite on the Moon's edge begins at 10:33 p.m. EDT on Thursday, reaching maximum coverage at 12:12 a.m. EDT Friday before clearing the main shadow at 1:52 a.m. EDT. Central Time viewers see peak at 11:12 p.m. Thursday, Mountain Time at 10:12 p.m., and Pacific Time at 9:12 p.m.

Why Does the Moon Turn Red | The Physics of Rayleigh Scattering

The signature red-orange hue of a lunar eclipse is the result of atmospheric physics known as Rayleigh scattering, the exact same optical process responsible for blue daytime skies and deep red sunsets. When Earth moves directly between the Sun and the full Moon, the planet's physical body blocks direct sunlight from hitting the lunar surface. But Earth is surrounded by a thin layer of atmosphere, and sunlight passing through that atmosphere bends, or refracts, as it travels through the air.

Shorter blue and green wavelengths scatter away in all directions as they pass through the atmosphere, which is why the sky appears blue during the day. The longer red and orange wavelengths, however, bend inward toward the shadow axis and project onto the Moon's surface. If Earth had no atmosphere, the Moon during an eclipse would turn completely pitch-black. Instead, the projected ring of refracted light paints the shadowed lunar surface in a deep coppery glow. As The Old Farmer's Almanac describes it, if you were standing on the lunar surface during peak eclipse, you would be looking back at Earth surrounded by a glowing red ring formed by every sunrise and sunset happening on the planet all at once.

How to Watch | No Special Equipment Required

Unlike solar eclipses, no special protective glasses or filters are required to watch a lunar eclipse. The dimming of the Moon poses zero safety risk to human eyesight. While the 96 percent coverage will be strikingly obvious to the naked eye, using a simple pair of binoculars or a small backyard telescope will reveal dramatic details, highlighting the stark visual contrast between the glowing red shadowed terrain and the tiny, brilliantly lit silver lip along the Moon's edge. Skywatchers should also keep an eye out for a steady golden dot hovering nearby in the night sky: Saturn, which will sit close to the Moon throughout the event, offering a bonus celestial sight for anyone with binoculars or a small telescope.

For those who miss this event, the next major lunar eclipse visible from the Americas will be a total lunar eclipse on March 3, 2027, which will pass directly over the region with the Moon fully immersed in Earth's shadow for over an hour. For more astronomy and skywatching coverage, see our guide to the June 2026 Northern Lights from the Cannibal CME geomagnetic storm and the Spain solar eclipses summer 2026 viewing guide. For broader space coverage, visit the OzoneNews Space hub.

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