The August 27-28, 2026 Partial Lunar Eclipse with Vespera and Hestia
15 Aug. 2026
On the night of August 27–28, 2026, a deep partial lunar eclipse will take place. It will be visible across the Atlantic-facing half of the planet: the Americas, Europe, and Africa.
At maximum, roughly 96% of the Moon's visible surface will be immersed in Earth’s dark umbral shadow. Most of the lunar disc will glow a deep red-copper, with only a thin bright sliver of direct sunlight left on one limb. Visually the effect comes very close to a total eclipse, even though this one remains, technically, a partial eclipse.
The eclipse will not be visible at all from eastern and southeastern Asia, Australia, New Zealand, or most of the Pacific, where the Moon is below the horizon throughout the event.
The best views are from the Americas, where the Moon rides high in the sky; from Europe and West Africa the Moon sits low in the west, close to moonset.
In this guide, you’ll learn what’s happening, what to look for, and when to observe from your location with Vespera and Hestia.
Observing the eclipse from North America (evening of August 27)
North America is well placed for this eclipse. Across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, the entire umbral eclipse, from the first dark bite to the last, unfolds during the late evening of August 27 (after midnight in the Eastern Time Zone). Visibility of the very start depends on longitude: eastern regions see the Moon high overhead, while the far Pacific coast catches the Moon just as it rises.
Where the whole umbral eclipse is visible
From the Eastern, Central, and Mountain time zones (New York, Toronto, Miami, Chicago, Dallas, Mexico City, Denver), the Moon is comfortably above the horizon for the full event, climbing high in the southeastern-to-southern sky. These regions get the complete show, including the deep maximum around local mid-evening to just after midnight.
Where only part of the eclipse is visible
On the Pacific coast, the Moon rises around the start of the eclipse, so the earliest minutes happen with the Moon very low in the east, or still below the horizon. From Los Angeles, the Moon has only just cleared the horizon when the partial phase begins; from Seattle, the Moon rises after the partial phase is already underway, so it comes up already bitten by Earth’s shadow.
Observers in the West should find a clear eastern horizon. Once the Moon climbs a little, the deep maximum and the entire second half of the eclipse are easy to see.
Partial eclipse timetable and visibility (local time)
*In Los Angeles the Moon has only just risen and is very low on the eastern horizon as the partial phase begins.
**In Seattle the Moon rises after the partial phase has already begun, so first umbral contact happens below the horizon; the Moon comes up already partially eclipsed.
Observing the eclipse from Central and South America (night of August 27–28)
Where the whole umbral eclipse is visible
This is where the eclipse is best seen overall. Across Central America, the Caribbean, and all of South America, the Moon rides high, often near the zenith, and the entire umbral eclipse is visible from beginning to end.
There are no horizon problems to worry about here. The deep maximum, with most of the disc glowing red, appears high overhead late in the evening or shortly after midnight.
Partial eclipse timetable and visibility (local time)
Observing the eclipse from Europe and West Africa (pre-dawn of August 28)
For Europe and Africa, the eclipse happens low in the western sky during the pre-dawn hours of August 28, as the Moon heads toward moonset. Conditions vary a great deal with longitude and latitude: the farther west and south you are, the better.
Where most of the eclipse is visible
The Atlantic fringe fares best. From West Africa (Dakar, Accra), Portugal, Morocco, and Iceland, the Moon stays above the horizon through most or all of the umbral eclipse, though increasingly low.
Where only the first half is visible
Farther north and east, in Ireland, the United Kingdom, France and Spain the Moon sets during or shortly after maximum. Observers there catch the partial phase and the deep maximum low in the west, in a brightening dawn sky, but the Moon slips below the horizon before the eclipse ends. A clear western horizon is essential, and the growing twilight will wash out the fainter shading near the end.
Partial eclipse timetable and visibility (local time, August 28)
*The Moon is very low on the western horizon near moonset, so visibility may be difficult.
**The Moon has set before this contact, so the end of the eclipse happens below the horizon.
How to observe the eclipse with Vespera and Hestia
Vespera and Hestia are ideal companions for following a lunar eclipse live on your smartphone. You can watch Earth’s shadow creep across the Moon in real time and capture the whole sequence as it happens.
Both instruments let you set the exposure by hand, which matters here because the Moon’s brightness changes enormously between the bright, uneclipsed limb and the deep-red shadowed portion. And remember: a lunar eclipse is perfectly safe to watch, and no filter of any kind is needed.
Scout your observing site ahead of time
Where the Moon sits in the sky depends heavily on your region, so plan your horizon accordingly. In Europe and West Africa the Moon is setting, so you want an unobstructed view low to the west. On the Pacific coast of North America the Moon is rising during the eclipse, so favor a clear eastern horizon. Across the eastern Americas and all of South America the Moon is high, and a general open sky is enough. In every case, pick a spot with as few nearby light sources as possible.
Basic setup for Vespera
Aiming Vespera at the Moon takes only a few steps:
- Set the tripod level, then run the initialization routine.
- On the Instrument screen, open Image Format and turn on Live Image Saving.
- If you intend to process RAW frames for the best possible quality, also switch on FITS saving, and confirm you have plenty of free internal storage first.
- Go to the Object Catalog, choose Solar System, and select the Moon.
- Pointing and tracking then run on their own; Vespera keeps the Moon centered for the whole event.
- For dependable pointing, start observing a little before the partial phase begins.
- Set the camera exposure so the Moon is correctly rendered. (See our dedicated camera-settings tutorial on the blog.)
Basic setup for Hestia
Before the eclipse starts, take a moment to seat your smartphone correctly and align it with Hestia.
- Turn on Lunar Observation mode.
- Use the Gravity sky map to point accurately at the Moon.
- Fine-tune the exposure by hand as the eclipse deepens.
Watch and re-adjust the exposure as the eclipse unfolds
Because the Moon’s brightness shifts so dramatically during an eclipse, you’ll want to revisit your exposure often.
Around maximum, the deep phase lasts long enough, especially where the whole event is visible high in the sky, to let you experiment calmly with your settings.
During the partial phases the contrast between the shadowed and the sunlit parts of the Moon is extreme. No single exposure can render both at once, so decide in advance which part you want to favor.
A reliable tactic is to shoot several frames at different exposures and then pick (or blend) the best of them afterward.
The huge brightness difference during the partial phase
Build a time-lapse of the eclipse
Saving frames throughout the event lets you assemble a time-lapse afterward, one of the best ways to relive the eclipse and share it online.
With Hestia
- Confirm you are in Eclipse mode so you benefit from the 5-minute countdown prompts and notifications.
- Tap Photo to switch to Time-lapse, then tap Capture to begin.
- Each additional frame is captured manually: press Capture again whenever you want to add one.
- When you’re done, tap Stop to build the video, choose your export settings (resolution and duration), and export.
- The finished video lands in your phone’s camera roll.
With Vespera
With Live Image Saving active, Vespera writes a fresh image to internal memory every 2–4 seconds (or every 10–15 seconds for RAW/FITS frames, depending on your settings).
Once the session is over, you’ll use third-party software to stitch the frames into a time-lapse video.
August 27–28, 2026 partial lunar eclipse stages
A lunar eclipse plays out over several hours. The Moon drifts gradually into Earth’s shadow, and as long as it is not completely swallowed, the eclipse stays partial. In this case the Moon never fully enters the umbra, since at greatest eclipse a thin sliver of its edge still catches direct sunlight. The whole event is therefore bracketed by faint penumbral phases and by the more obvious partial (umbral) phases.
Key stages of the eclipse
- Penumbral eclipse begins: the Moon enters Earth’s faint outer shadow. The dimming is barely perceptible at first.
- Partial (umbral) eclipse begins: the Moon’s edge reaches the dark umbra, and a distinct dark bite appears on the lunar disk.
- Maximum eclipse: the Moon reaches its deepest point in the umbra, with about 93% of its diameter covered. Most of the disk glows red-copper, while a thin bright sliver of its edge stays in sunlight. This is the most dramatic moment.
- Partial (umbral) eclipse ends: the Moon clears the umbra and gradually regains its full brightness.
- Penumbral eclipse ends: the Moon leaves the outer shadow and the event concludes.
Contact times from NASA / Fred Espenak eclipse elements.
What is a lunar eclipse?
- If the Moon passes entirely into the umbra, the whole disk is shadowed and turns red: this is a total eclipse.
- If only part of the Moon crosses into the umbra while the rest stays in the penumbra, you get a partial eclipse, like the deep partial of August 27–28, 2026, where about 93% of the disk is covered.
- If the Moon drifts through the penumbra alone, the dimming is so slight it is easy to miss: a penumbral eclipse.
