Overview
- The eclipse will reach its global maximum at 04:13 UTC on 28 August when about 96% of the Moon’s visible disk will lie inside Earth’s umbra, producing a very deep partial eclipse.
- Observers across much of the Americas and parts of Europe, Africa and Antarctica can see the event but exact local times vary by time zone and by city.
- The Moon will spend roughly 3 hours and 18 minutes in the partial (umbral) phase and about 5 hours and 38 minutes including the faint penumbral stages, so the spectacle unfolds gradually over the night.
- The eclipsed area may appear reddish or coppery because sunlight that grazes Earth’s atmosphere has short wavelengths scattered away while red and orange light is refracted into the umbra, and the final color depends on dust, smoke, volcanic ash and humidity in the atmosphere.
- No eye protection is needed to watch the eclipse, telescopes or binoculars will reveal more detail, and many planetariums, astronomy groups and NASA/TimeandDate will run free in-person viewing sessions and live streams though cloud cover will decide whether events go ahead.