Lunar Eclipse 2027

Updated: September 14, 2026

Three lunar eclipses fall in 2027 — and all three are penumbral: February 20, July 18 and August 17. No blood moon this year. Dates, UTC times, where each one is visible, and exactly when the next partial and total eclipses arrive.

Complete 2027 lunar eclipse calendar

Times are the moment of greatest eclipse in UTC (NASA GSFC). 2027 is the quietest lunar-eclipse year of the decade: no part of the Moon enters Earth's dark inner shadow (umbra) in any of the three events. If you want a dramatic eclipse, the ones to plan for are the partial of January 12, 2028 and the total blood moon of December 31, 2028.

Penumbral lunar eclipse — February 20, 2027

The first and best lunar eclipse of 2027. It is penumbral — the Moon crosses only Earth's faint outer shadow — but a deep one: the Moon passes so close to the umbra that its northern limb takes on a distinct smoky-grey shading around greatest eclipse at 23:14 UTC. Look for it with the naked eye or binoculars; compare the two edges of the Moon and the difference is obvious.

Visibility: the Americas (evening of February 20 — greatest eclipse at 06:14 PM EST, 03:14 PM PST as the Moon rises), all of Europe and Africa (late evening, 00:14 CET on February 21), and western and central Asia. Greatest eclipse at 23:14 UTC is London 23:14 GMT · Madrid 00:14 CET · New York 06:14 PM EST · Buenos Aires 08:14 PM.

Penumbral lunar eclipse — July 18, 2027

The shallowest eclipse of the year: the Moon only grazes the very edge of the penumbra around 16:04 UTC. There is nothing to see — the dimming is below what the human eye can detect. It counts as an eclipse in the catalogues, but it is not an observing event.

Region: the Moon is above the horizon at that time over eastern Africa, Asia, Australia and the Pacific. Europe and the Americas are on the day side.

Penumbral lunar eclipse — August 17, 2027

A moderate penumbral eclipse — roughly half the Moon's diameter lies inside the penumbra at greatest eclipse, 07:15 UTC. Expect a faint, gradual shading on one limb, noticeable mainly in photographs or with binoculars, not a dramatic change.

Visibility: the Pacific and the Americas — early morning on the US East Coast (03:15 AM EDT), late night on the West Coast (00:15 AM PDT), evening of August 16 in Hawaii and Australia's east coast at moonset. Europe and Africa miss it.

No blood moon in 2027 — when is the next one?

So the sequence after the deep partial of August 28, 2026 is: three quiet penumbrals in 2027, two partials in 2028, and then the New Year's Eve total lunar eclipse of December 31, 2028 — the first blood moon since March 3, 2026 and a spectacular one for Europe, Africa and Asia.

How to see a penumbral eclipse

A penumbral eclipse is completely safe to watch — no glasses, no filters. The trick is knowing what to look for: not a bite out of the Moon, but a soft gradient, one limb dimmer and greyer than the other. Three tips: 1. Watch at the time of greatest eclipse, when the contrast peaks. 2. Compare the Moon's two edges, or take a photo with a fixed exposure at the start and at maximum and flick between them. 3. Binoculars help more than a telescope: they show the whole disc at once, which is where the shading lives.

FAQ — Lunar eclipse 2027

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