A third of the Moon in shadow
At the peak, about one third of the Moon’s disc lies inside Earth’s umbra. To the eye, the shadowed part looks dark grey, sometimes with a faint brown or red tint near its edge, while the rest of the Moon stays bright. From first to last contact with the umbra, the partial phase lasts about 143 minutes.
Because the eclipse happens in July, the Moon is low in the southern sky for viewers in the Northern Hemisphere and high overhead for those in the Southern Hemisphere.
Where to see the eclipse of 6 July 2028
The whole partial phase is visible from eastern and southern Africa, the Middle East, South and East Asia and Australia. In Cairo and Johannesburg it happens in the evening, in Delhi before midnight, and in Beijing, Tokyo and Sydney in the early hours of 7 July.
Most of Europe misses it: the Moon rises only around the time the partial phase ends. The Americas see nothing.
How to watch
Find a spot with a clear view of the south-eastern sky in the Northern Hemisphere, or simply look up in the Southern Hemisphere. Binoculars help to see the curve of Earth’s shadow, a reminder that the Greeks used its round edge as proof that Earth is a sphere.
Eclipse times
| Phase | Time (UTC) |
|---|---|
| Penumbral eclipse begins | 15:44 |
| Partial eclipse begins | 17:08 |
| Greatest eclipse | 18:20 |
| Partial eclipse ends | 19:31 |
| Penumbral eclipse ends | 20:55 |
Universal Time. Add your own time zone offset, or use the city table below.
Local times in major cities
| City | Partial phase | Peak, local | Moon height |
|---|---|---|---|
| JohannesburgSouth Africa | Whole19:08–21:31 | 20:206 Jul | 37° |
| DelhiIndia | Whole22:38–01:01 | 23:506 Jul | 37° |
| DubaiUnited Arab Emirates | Whole21:08–23:31 | 22:206 Jul | 32° |
| SydneyAustralia | Whole03:08–05:31 | 04:207 Jul | 32° |
| BeijingChina | Whole01:08–03:31 | 02:207 Jul | 20° |
| CairoEgypt | Whole20:08–22:31 | 21:206 Jul | 14° |
| AucklandNew Zealand | Whole05:08–07:31 | 06:207 Jul | 14° |
| TokyoJapan | Whole02:08–04:31 | 03:207 Jul | 12° |
| BerlinGermany | None | – | below horizon |
| ParisFrance | None | – | below horizon |
| MadridSpain | None | – | below horizon |
| LondonUnited Kingdom | None | – | below horizon |
| Buenos AiresArgentina | None | – | below horizon |
| São PauloBrazil | None | – | below horizon |
| HonoluluUnited States | None | – | below horizon |
| Los AngelesUnited States | None | – | below horizon |
| New YorkUnited States | None | – | below horizon |
| ChicagoUnited States | None | – | below horizon |
| Mexico CityMexico | None | – | below horizon |
“Whole” means the Moon stays above the horizon for the entire partial phase; “Part” means it rises or sets during it.
Good questions
- Can I see the 6 July 2028 lunar eclipse from Europe?
- Hardly. In most of Europe the Moon rises only as the partial phase ends, so at best you see a faint shading low in the south-east. Eastern Europe has the best chance.
- How long does the partial eclipse last?
- About 143 minutes from the moment the Moon touches Earth’s dark shadow until it leaves it.
Sources
- NASA Science, Lunar eclipses
- EclipseWise (Fred Espenak), Lunar eclipses 2021–2030
- NASA eclipse website, Visual appearance of lunar eclipses