Total Lunar Eclipse of 2028-12-31

Historical significance

The December 31 2028 total lunar eclipse is the first lunar eclipse to fall on New Year's Eve / New Year's Day since the partial eclipse of December 31 2009 — and the next such calendar coincidence does not occur until December 2047. Its umbral magnitude of 1.2479 places the Moon entirely within Earth's umbra, and totality lasts 1 hour 11 minutes 20 seconds. It is member 49 of 72 in Lunar Saros 125, which began on July 17 1163 and is now in its long mature run of total eclipses.

Comparison to other eclipses

This eclipse opens a remarkable lunar eclipse year: it is followed by the deep total lunar eclipse of June 26 2029 — the longest and darkest total lunar eclipse of the entire 21st century at 1 hour 42 minutes of totality — and then the December 20 2029 total eclipse. Three total lunar eclipses in 12 months, with progressively higher umbral magnitudes, has no precedent in the early 21st century.

Astrophotography context

Greatest eclipse occurs at 16:52 UTC on December 31, with totality from 16:16 to 17:28 UTC. The Moon is roughly 4.3 days from perigee, making its apparent diameter noticeably larger than average — effectively a 'super blood moon' for the year-end. Best-placed regions are eastern Europe, Asia and Australia, where the Moon is high overhead at local midnight. The deep central transit (umbral mag 1.25) should produce a Danjon L=2 to L=3 appearance — copper-red across most of the disc, with the northern limb deeper and darker than the southern. New Delhi sees totality with the Moon near the zenith around 22:00 IST; Tokyo at moonrise around 01:50 JST. Plan exposures from 1/125s (mid-partial, bright limb) to 2-4s at ISO 1600 (mid-totality, deep red interior).

Top viewing destinations

• - South & East Asia — best placed: India, China, Japan and Australia see the entire eclipse with the Moon high overhead
• - Eastern Europe & Russia — eclipse occurs in the evening hours, Moon rising in shadow
• - Africa & Middle East — eclipse occurs near moonrise; eastern Africa sees the full event
• - Western Europe — only the early phases visible before moonset
• - Pacific & western North America — only the closing phases visible at moonset