Total lunar eclipse (2032)
On 25 April 2032 the whole of a total lunar eclipse is visible from East Asia, Australia and Antarctica. The partial phase begins at 13:28 UTC, and totality lasts about 65 minutes, from 14:41 to 15:46 UTC.
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The story
On 25 April 2032, a total lunar eclipse will be visible from East Asia and Australia. At about 13:28 UT, the dark part of Earth's shadow begins to cover the Moon's eastern edge. By 14:41 UT the whole Moon is inside the shadow, and the eclipse is deepest at 15:15 UT. Totality, when the Moon is completely covered, lasts about 65 minutes, until 15:46 UT.
A lunar eclipse happens when the Sun, Earth and Moon line up and the Moon moves into Earth's shadow. That is why eclipses only happen on nights of a full Moon, and why everyone on the night side of Earth sees the same thing at the same moment. This eclipse is visible from start to finish across East Asia and Australia.
During totality the Moon does not disappear. Instead it turns red. Sunlight is bent as it passes through Earth's atmosphere, and the red part of that light reaches into the shadow. The exact colour, from bright orange to deep brick red, depends on how much volcanic ash and dust is in Earth's air at the time. So every total lunar eclipse looks a little different.
As the Moon darkens, the sky around it grows darker too, and stars normally hidden by the full Moon's glare come into view. On this night the Moon sits near the border of Virgo and Libra. About a fist's width to the west of the Moon lies Spica, the brightest star in Virgo. The red Moon and the bluish-white star will make a striking pair.
Viewing guide — timing and direction
A lunar eclipse is safe to watch with the naked eye, and no special equipment is needed. Binoculars show the changing colours on the Moon's surface more clearly. On this night the Moon rises in the south-east in the evening and climbs high in the southern sky by midnight, so anywhere with an open view to the south will do. The weather cannot be known this far ahead, so it is worth checking the forecast in the days before.
Choose the April 2032 eclipse in the event list of NowSky's sky view to jump to a night sky where the whole eclipse is visible and replay the Moon sinking into Earth's shadow and coming out again. The orbit view shows the Sun, Earth and Moon in a line together with the cone of Earth's shadow. How far the Moon passes from the centre of that shadow decides how long totality lasts.
See this for yourself — open that sky at that moment · replay the moment in the orbit view
Why this lunar eclipse is worth it
This eclipse is the first of four total lunar eclipses in a row during 2032 and 2033. A run of four total eclipses with no partial ones in between is called a tetrad. The other three fall on 18 October 2032, 14 April 2033 and 8 October 2033. Each favours a different part of the world: the April 2032 and October 2033 eclipses are best seen around the Pacific, East Asia and Australia, while the October 2032 and April 2033 eclipses are best placed for East Africa and Asia.
A lunar eclipse shows that the Moon's orbit is tilted by about 5 degrees compared with Earth's orbit. Because of this tilt, the full Moon usually passes above or below Earth's shadow, and an eclipse only happens when the Moon is near one of the two points where the orbits cross. The curved edge of Earth's shadow on the Moon was also used by Aristotle, long ago, as evidence that Earth is round.
During totality almost no sunlight reaches the Moon's surface, so the ground cools by more than 100 degrees Celsius in a short time. Spacecraft orbiting the Moon measure this sudden cooling to learn how well the lunar soil holds heat and how fine its grains are. In this way an eclipse also serves as a scientific experiment.
Background
Some years have no total lunar eclipse at all, while others have as many as three. It is rarer still for a particular region to see a whole eclipse at a convenient hour. This one is visible from start to finish at night from East Asia and Australia. From eastern Europe and western Asia the Moon rises with the eclipse already under way, and from western North America it can be seen as the Moon sets.
A solar eclipse often happens about two weeks before or after a lunar eclipse. This eclipse's partner is the annular solar eclipse of 9 May 2032, two weeks later, visible in the southern hemisphere. The lunar eclipse also belongs to Saros series 122. A saros is a cycle of about 18 years and 11 days after which a similar eclipse comes around again, and the next eclipse in this series will be on 6 May 2050.
The brightness and colour of the Moon during an eclipse are recorded on the Danjon scale, which has five steps from 0, an almost invisible black Moon, to 4, bright copper or orange. After a big volcanic eruption, tiny particles high in the air block sunlight and the eclipsed Moon looks dark. A well-known example is December 1992, the year after Mount Pinatubo erupted in 1991, when the Moon almost vanished.
FAQ
Where can the whole eclipse be seen?
From East Asia, Australia and Antarctica, where the Moon stays above the horizon the whole time. The partial phase runs from about 13:28 to 16:59 UTC, and totality from 14:41 to 15:46 UTC. East Africa, eastern Europe and western Asia see the Moon rise during the eclipse, and western North America sees it set.
Do I need any equipment?
No. A lunar eclipse is safe to watch with the naked eye. Binoculars show the colour changes on the Moon's surface more clearly, and a phone or camera on a tripod can take photographs.
Why does the Moon turn red?
Sunlight is bent as it passes through Earth's atmosphere, and mainly the red part of it reaches into Earth's shadow. It is the same reason the sky turns red at sunset.
When is the next total lunar eclipse after this one?
The very next total eclipse is on 18 October 2032, with totality from 18:40 to 19:27 UTC; it is visible from start to finish across East Africa, Europe and Asia. It is followed by the eclipses of 14 April 2033 and 8 October 2033.
Related
- Total lunar eclipse (2033)
- Total lunar eclipse of 2028
- Total lunar eclipse — Pacific & Asia (2026)
- The Moon — object index
- Earth — object index
Times and figures are approximate — verify with official sources when planning travel. Simulation uses J2000 mean elements.