Millions Witness ‘Blood Moon’ Total Lunar Eclipse; Next Partial Eclipse on Aug. 28, 2026

Millions of people across the globe saw a total lunar eclipse overnight that turned the Moon a deep red as Earth’s shadow passed over its surface, peaking at 19:33 BST and ending at 21:55 BST.

The event, visible from cities including London, Athens, Tokyo, Beijing and Berlin, lasted under three hours in total and produced striking photographs worldwide. Observers in the United Kingdom saw their first total lunar eclipse since 2022.

A lunar eclipse occurs when Earth lines up between the Sun and the Moon so that Earth’s shadow falls on the lunar surface. During a total eclipse, the Moon is illuminated only by sunlight that has passed through Earth’s atmosphere and been refracted back toward the Moon; shorter blue wavelengths are scattered out by air molecules, leaving reddened light to give the Moon a coppery or blood-red hue, the Royal Museums Greenwich said.

Partial lunar eclipses occur when the Moon passes through the outer part of Earth’s shadow and only a portion of the lunar disk is covered by the darkest inner shadow, or umbra. According to Royal Museums Greenwich, the next partial lunar eclipse is expected on Aug. 28, 2026.

Lunar eclipses are safe to observe with the naked eye because the Moon’s reflected light is not as intense as direct sunlight, unlike solar eclipses, which require protective eyewear. Amateur and professional photographers captured scenes ranging from the Blood Moon rising behind The Shard in London to cityscapes in Beijing and the Tokyo skyline. Astronomer Tom Kerss advised that a long lens helps reveal surface detail, while a clear eastern horizon and an elevated viewing point increase the chance of a good view.

Total phases of lunar eclipses are typically shorter than 100 minutes, though the full event from penumbral to penumbral phases can span several hours. At least two lunar eclipses of some type—partial or total—occur each year, while total lunar eclipses tend to recur every two to three years in a given location, depending on orbital geometry and viewing conditions.

For people who missed this night’s total eclipse, the Royal Museums Greenwich and other astronomical organisations recommend marking calendars for the 2026 partial eclipse and checking local visibility forecasts; whether an eclipse is visible depends on geographic location and the Moon’s position above the horizon. Observers planning to photograph future eclipses are advised to prepare equipment in advance and scout sites with wide eastern views to capture the rising Moon at the time of peak shadowing.