Total lunar eclipse — December 20, 2029
Coming up: every phase timed to the minute, the same instant worldwide, converted to your own clock — and whether the moon is up where you are.
Total lunar eclipse
December 20, 2029 · greatest eclipse 22:42 UTC
The moon passes entirely into the Earth's umbra — the dark core of the shadow — and turns a deep copper red.
Timeline
Every one of these instants is the same moment everywhere on Earth — the shadow falls on the moon, not on you. UTC is baked in; your own time zone appears underneath when the page loads.
the moon touches the soft outer shadow — hard to notice at first19:44 UTC
Dec 20, 2029
the dark umbra reaches the edge of the disc20:56 UTC
Dec 20, 2029
the moon is fully inside the umbra and turns red22:15 UTC
Dec 20, 2029
the moon is deepest in the shadow22:42 UTC
Dec 20, 2029
the first bright edge returns23:08 UTC
Dec 20, 2029
the umbra leaves the disc00:27 UTC
Dec 21, 2029
the moon is clear of the shadow01:39 UTC
Dec 21, 2029
Can you see it?
A lunar eclipse has no narrow path — everyone on the night side of the Earth sees the same thing at the same instant. At greatest eclipse the moon is directly overhead near 23°N, 20°E, so it is best placed over Europe, west Africa and the eastern Atlantic. Further from there, the moon sits lower; on the far side of the world it is below the horizon and the eclipse happens in daylight.
Worked out from the moon's altitude at your coordinates at greatest eclipse. Cloud is not included — nothing on this site knows the weather.
What to expect
Totality lasts 53 min, inside a partial phase of 3 h 31 min. The colour during totality varies from a bright orange to a dark brick red depending on how much dust and cloud is in the Earth's atmosphere at the time — it is not predictable in advance, which is part of the appeal.
No equipment and no eye protection are needed. Unlike a solar eclipse, a lunar eclipse is completely safe to watch with bare eyes.
More
Previous: Jun 26, 2029 · All lunar eclipses · Moon calendar · Moon phase today
Dates and circumstances are computed with the same method as the moon phases on this site — see how the moon phase is calculated.