Topline
Did you see the full Buck Moon rise on July 29? The next full moon is the full Sturgeon Moon, which will rise on Aug. 27-28, but it will be much more than a typical full moon — and one of the celestial highlights of 2026. Shortly after it rises, as seen from North America, it will pass almost completely through Earth’s darkest shadow in space, creating a remarkably deep partial lunar eclipse visible across North America, South America, Europe and Africa. Although it falls just short of becoming a total lunar eclipse, more than 96% of the moon will be immersed in Earth’s umbra, making this the most impressive lunar eclipse until the end of 2028. It comes just over two weeks after a total solar eclipse on Aug. 12, and marks the second and final act of an eclipse season.
Key Facts
At maximum eclipse, 96.2% of the moon will lie within Earth’s umbral shadow. Although a thin sliver will remain illuminated, most of the lunar surface will appear darkened with a subtle reddish-orange glow. That last happened on March 3, 2026 during a total lunar eclipse across North America.
The eclipse will be visible from Europe, Africa, North America and South America. North and South America will enjoy the best views, with viewers able to follow the entire event from beginning to end — if skies are clear.
Unlike Aug. 12’s solar eclipse, a lunar eclipse is completely safe to observe with the naked eye. The event unfolds slowly over 5 hours 38 minutes, though it will be the moment of maximum eclipse — 12:12 a.m. EDT on Aug. 28—the time to see it at its most dramatic.
What is a partial lunar eclipse?
Lunar eclipses can occur only during a full moon, when Earth moves directly between the sun and the moon. As the full moon passes through Earth’s shadow, sunlight reaching its surface has first been filtered through Earth’s atmosphere, removing much of the blue light and allowing mostly longer red wavelengths to reach the moon — hence it turns reddish. It’s as if thousands of sunsets are being projected onto the moon. During the Aug. 27 eclipse, however, the alignment will not be perfect. A small part of the moon will remain outside Earth’s umbra, so the eclipse will never reach totality. It therefore won’t technically be a true “blood moon” — the colloquial name for a total lunar eclipse — even though much of the lunar surface will appear reddish-orange.
How rare is a deep partial lunar eclipse?
The Aug. 27-28 eclipse will be the finest lunar eclipse visible anywhere in the world until the total lunar eclipse on Dec. 31, 2028, and the last total lunar eclipse visible from North America until June 26, 2029. For skywatchers, the deep partial on Aug. 27-28 offers a rare opportunity to see an eclipse that will closely resemble totality while still preserving a thin, sunlit crescent along the moon’s edge. It’s also a chance to watch something arguably just as awesome — the edge of Earth’s shadow as it gradually moves across the lunar surface, as the partial eclipse builds, peaks and then fades.
When is the next full moon?
In North America, maximum eclipse occurs at 12:12 a.m. EDT on Aug. 28 (9:12 p.m. PDT on Aug. 27), a global moment. The East Coast will see the entire progression of the eclipse from start to finish overnight, between 9:33 p.m. EDT and 3:01 a.m. EDT, with the West Coast seeing it from moonrise at 7:17 p.m. PDT to 00:01 a.m. PDT.