Overview
- The deep partial lunar eclipse on Friday, August 28, 2026 reaches its maximum at about 06:12–06:13 local time when more than 96% of the Moon’s disk will lie in Earth’s umbra.
- Visibility will extend across Italy before sunrise but the Moon will sit very low to the west so western and southern regions and islands such as Sardinia offer the clearest views while northern and eastern cities risk moonset during peak phases.
- Key phase times reported by experts are penumbral ingress around 03:23–03:24, partial eclipse start near 04:33–04:34, and the partial maximum near 06:12–06:13, with later phases occurring after moonset in many locations.
- Observing is safe with the naked eye and small binoculars will improve the view; viewers are advised to pick a high, west-facing site with an unobstructed horizon and to use the Virtual Telescope stream if their local horizon blocks the Moon.
- The Moon’s red color results from Earth’s atmosphere scattering blue light and refracting longer red and orange wavelengths into the umbra, and this event follows the August 12 solar eclipse as part of the same eclipse season with the next total lunar eclipse noted for 2029.