Lunar eclipse · penumbral
Next Lunar Eclipse: 20 February 2027
The next lunar eclipse is a penumbral lunar eclipse on Saturday, 20 February 2027, 23:12 UTC. The Moon passes only through Earth's faint outer shadow, so the dimming is subtle to the eye. The whole event takes about 4 hours.
Times
Penumbral eclipse begins
Saturday, 20 February 2027, 21:11 UTC
Greatest eclipse
Saturday, 20 February 2027, 23:12 UTC
Penumbral eclipse ends
Sunday, 21 February 2027, 01:13 UTC
Local times are shown in your own time zone once the page loads.
Where it can be seen
A lunar eclipse is visible from anywhere the Moon is above the horizon while it happens — half the planet at once. The table gives the Moon's height at greatest eclipse for each city.
| City | Visible | Moon at maximum |
|---|---|---|
| London, United Kingdom | Yes, whole eclipse | 46° |
| Madrid, Spain | Yes, whole eclipse | 55° |
| Paris, France | Yes, whole eclipse | 49° |
| Berlin, Germany | Yes, whole eclipse | 47° |
| Rome, Italy | Yes, whole eclipse | 57° |
| New York, United States | Yes, whole eclipse | 6° |
| Los Angeles, United States | Not visible | — |
| Toronto, Canada | Yes, whole eclipse | 3° |
| Mexico City, Mexico | Partly (moonrise or moonset) | — |
| Bogotá, Colombia | Yes, whole eclipse | 1° |
| São Paulo, Brazil | Yes, whole eclipse | 20° |
| Buenos Aires, Argentina | Yes, whole eclipse | 7° |
| Lagos, Nigeria | Yes, whole eclipse | 78° |
| Johannesburg, South Africa | Yes, whole eclipse | 51° |
| Dubai, United Arab Emirates | Yes, whole eclipse | 48° |
| New Delhi, India | Yes, whole eclipse | 28° |
| Singapore, Singapore | Yes, whole eclipse | 1° |
| Tokyo, Japan | Partly (moonrise or moonset) | — |
| Sydney, Australia | Not visible | — |
| Auckland, New Zealand | Not visible | — |
Lunar eclipses after this one
- 18 July 2027penumbral · 16:02 UTC
- 17 August 2027penumbral · 07:13 UTC
- 12 January 2028partial · 04:13 UTC
- 6 July 2028partial · 18:19 UTC
- 31 December 2028total · 16:51 UTC
The previous lunar eclipse was a partial eclipse on 28 August 2026.
Questions
- When is the next lunar eclipse?
- 20 February 2027, with greatest eclipse at 23:12 UTC. It is a penumbral lunar eclipse.
- What is a lunar eclipse?
- A lunar eclipse happens when the full Moon passes through Earth's shadow. In a penumbral eclipse it crosses only the faint outer shadow; in a partial eclipse part of it enters the dark umbra; in a total eclipse the whole Moon is inside the umbra and turns red — a blood moon.
- Is it safe to watch a lunar eclipse?
- Yes. Unlike a solar eclipse, a lunar eclipse is simply the full Moon in shadow, safe to look at with the naked eye, binoculars or a telescope.
- What time should I look?
- Start at the beginning of the partial phase and stay through greatest eclipse: that is when the bite out of the Moon, or the red colour of totality, is at its deepest. A penumbral eclipse is only noticeable near maximum.
- Why is a lunar eclipse always on a full moon?
- Because the Moon has to be on the far side of Earth from the Sun to pass through Earth's shadow, and that geometry is exactly what a full moon is. Not every full moon is eclipsed, since the Moon's orbit is tilted about 5°.