Lunar Eclipse Preview: 2021 - 2040
©2023 by Fred Espenak
Introduction
An eclipse of the Moon (or lunar eclipse) can only occur at Full Moon, and only if the Moon passes through some portion of the Earth's shadow. The shadow is actually composed of two cone-shaped components, one nested inside the other. The outer or penumbral shadow is a zone where the Earth blocks part but not all of the Sun's rays from reaching the Moon. In contrast, the inner or umbral shadow is a region where the Earth blocks all direct sunlight from reaching the Moon.
There are three types of lunar eclipses:
- Penumbral - The Moon passes through Earth's penumbral shadow. These pale eclipses are faint and hard to see.
- Partial - A portion of the Moon passes through Earth's umbral shadow. These are easy to see with the unaided eye.
- Total - The entire Moon passes through Earth's umbral shadow. The Moon can turn orange, red or dark brown.
When an eclipse of the Moon takes place, everyone on the night side of Earth can see it. About 35% of all eclipses are of the penumbral type which are very difficult to detect, even with a telescope. Another 30% are partial eclipses which are easy to see with the unaided eye. The final 35% or so are total eclipses, and these are quite extrordinary events to behold.
For a complete introduction to this subject, see: Lunar Eclipses For Beginners.
Total Lunar Eclipse of 2004 Oct 27-28
Beginning (right), middle (center) and end (left) of totality
(click to see photo gallery)
Lunar Eclipses: 2021 - 2040
Penumbral eclipses are of little interest because they are hard to see. If we consider only partial and total lunar eclipses, how often do they occur? The number of lunar eclipses in a single year can range from 0 to 3. The last time that 3 total lunar eclipses occurred in one calendar year was in 1982. Partial eclipses slightly outnumber total eclipses by 7 to 6.
The table below lists every lunar eclipse (including penumbral) from 2021 through 2040. Click on the eclipse Date to see a map and diagram of an eclipse. The second column TD of Greatest Eclipse is the Terrestrial Dynamical Time of greatest eclipse. The Umbral Magnitude is the fraction on the Moon's diameter immersed in the umbra at maximum eclipse. For magnitudes greater than 1.0, the eclipse is total. For negative values, it is a penumbral eclipse. The Eclipse Duration is the duration of the partial phases as well as the total phase (in bold; total eclipses only). The Geographic Region of Eclipse Visibility offers a brief description of where an eclipse can be seen. Although penumbral lunar eclipses are included in this list, they are usually hard to see because they are faint.
Lunar Eclipses: 2021 - 2040 | |||||||
Calendar Date | TD of Greatest Eclipse | Eclipse Type | Saros Series | Umbral Magnitude | Eclipse Duration | Geographic Region of Eclipse Visibility | |
2021 May 26 | 11:19:53 | Total | 121 | 1.009 | 03h07m 00h15m |
e Asia, Australia, Pacific, Americas | |
2021 Nov 19 | 09:04:06 | Partial | 126 | 0.974 | 03h28m | Americas, n Europe, e Asia, Australia, Pacific | |
2022 May 16 | 04:12:42 | Total | 131 | 1.414 | 03h27m 01h25m |
Americas, Europe, Africa | |
2022 Nov 08 | 11:00:22 | Total | 136 | 1.359 | 03h40m 01h25m |
Asia, Australia, Pacific, Americas | |
2023 May 05 | 17:24:05 | Penumbral | 141 | -0.046 | - | Africa, Asia, Australia | |
2023 Oct 28 | 20:15:18 | Partial | 146 | 0.122 | 01h17m | e Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia | |
2024 Mar 25 | 07:13:59 | Penumbral | 113 | -0.132 | - | Americas | |
2024 Sep 18 | 02:45:25 | Partial | 118 | 0.085 | 01h03m | Americas, Europe, Africa | |
2025 Mar 14 | 06:59:56 | Total | 123 | 1.178 | 03h38m 01h05m |
Pacific, Americas, w Europe, w Africa | |
2025 Sep 07 | 18:12:58 | Total | 128 | 1.362 | 03h29m 01h22m |
Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia | |
2026 Mar 03 | 11:34:52 | Total | 133 | 1.151 | 03h27m 00h58m |
e Asia, Australia, Pacific, Americas | |
2026 Aug 28 | 04:14:04 | Partial | 138 | 0.930 | 03h18m | e Pacific, Americas, Europe, Africa | |
2027 Feb 20 | 23:14:06 | Penumbral | 143 | -0.057 | - | Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia | |
2027 Jul 18 | 16:04:09 | Penumbral | 110 | -1.068 | - | e Africa, Asia, Australia, Pacific | |
2027 Aug 17 | 07:14:59 | Penumbral | 148 | -0.525 | - | Pacific, Americas | |
2028 Jan 12 | 04:14:13 | Partial | 115 | 0.066 | 00h56m | Americas, Europe, Africa | |
2028 Jul 06 | 18:20:57 | Partial | 120 | 0.389 | 02h21m | Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia | |
2028 Dec 31 | 16:53:15 | Total | 125 | 1.246 | 03h29m 01h11m |
Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, Pacific | |
2029 Jun 26 | 03:23:22 | Total | 130 | 1.844 | 03h40m 01h42m |
Americas, Europe, Africa, Mid East | |
2029 Dec 20 | 22:43:12 | Total | 135 | 1.117 | 03h33m 00h54m |
Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia | |
2030 Jun 15 | 18:34:34 | Partial | 140 | 0.502 | 02h24m | Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia | |
2030 Dec 09 | 22:28:51 | Penumbral | 145 | -0.163 | - | Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia | |
2031 May 07 | 03:52:01 | Penumbral | 112 | -0.090 | - | Americas, Europe, Africa | |
2031 Jun 05 | 11:45:17 | Penumbral | 150 | -0.820 | - | East Indies, Australia, Pacific | |
2031 Oct 30 | 07:46:44 | Penumbral | 117 | -0.320 | - | Americas | |
2032 Apr 25 | 15:14:51 | Total | 122 | 1.191 | 03h31m 01h06m |
eastern Africa, Asia, Australia, Pacific | |
2032 Oct 18 | 19:03:40 | Total | 127 | 1.103 | 03h16m 00h47m |
Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia | |
2033 Apr 14 | 19:13:51 | Total | 132 | 1.094 | 03h35m 00h49m |
Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia | |
2033 Oct 08 | 10:56:23 | Total | 137 | 1.350 | 03h22m 01h19m |
Asia, Australia, Pacific, Americas | |
2034 Apr 03 | 19:06:60 | Penumbral | 142 | -0.227 | - | Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia | |
2034 Sep 28 | 02:47:37 | Partial | 147 | 0.014 | 00h27m | Americas, Europe, Africa | |
2035 Feb 22 | 09:06:11 | Penumbral | 114 | -0.053 | - | eastern Asia, Pacific, Americas | |
2035 Aug 19 | 01:12:15 | Partial | 119 | 0.104 | 01h17m | Americas, Europe, Africa, Mid East | |
2036 Feb 11 | 22:13:06 | Total | 124 | 1.299 | 03h22m 01h14m |
Americas, Europe, Africa,, Asia, western Australia | |
2036 Aug 07 | 02:52:32 | Total | 129 | 1.454 | 03h51m 01h35m |
Americas, Europe, Africa, western Asia | |
2037 Jan 31 | 14:01:38 | Total | 134 | 1.207 | 03h18m 01h04m |
eastern Europe, eastern Africa, Asia, Australia, Pacific, North America | |
2037 Jul 27 | 04:09:53 | Partial | 139 | 0.809 | 03h12m | Americas, Europe, Africa | |
2038 Jan 21 | 03:49:52 | Penumbral | 144 | -0.114 | - | Americas, Europe, Africa | |
2038 Jun 17 | 02:45:02 | Penumbral | 111 | -0.527 | - | eastern North America, C. & South America, Africa, western Europe | |
2038 Jul 16 | 11:35:56 | Penumbral | 149 | -0.495 | - | Australia, eastern Asia, Pacific, western Americas | |
2038 Dec 11 | 17:45:00 | Penumbral | 116 | -0.289 | - | Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia | |
2039 Jun 06 | 18:54:25 | Partial | 121 | 0.885 | 02h59m | Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia | |
2039 Nov 30 | 16:56:28 | Partial | 126 | 0.943 | 03h26m | Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, Pacific | |
2040 May 26 | 11:46:22 | Total | 131 | 1.535 | 03h31m 01h32m |
eastern Asia, Australia, Pacific, western Americas | |
2040 Nov 18 | 19:04:41 | Total | 136 | 1.397 | 03h40m 01h28m |
eastern Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia |
Geographic abbreviations (used above): n = north, s = south, e = east, w = west, c = central
See Lunar Eclipses For Beginners to learn the basics.
Recent total lunar eclipses visible from the USA include the eclipses on Aug. 28, 2007, Feb. 21, 2008, Dec. 21, 2010, Apr. 15, 2014, Oct. 08, 2014, Apr. 04, 2015, Sep. 28, 2015, Sep. 28, 2015, Sep. 28, 2015, Jan, 31, 2018 , Jan. 20/21, 2019, May 26, 2021 , May 16, 2022 , and Nov 08, 2022 .
Upcoming lunar eclipses visible from the USA include Mar 14, 2025 , Mar 03, 2026 , and Jun 26, 2029 .