The moon is about to put on the best show of its year. In the early hours of Friday, August 28 Manila time, Earth’s shadow will creep across the lunar surface until 96% of it glows copper-red, a very deep partial lunar eclipse that comes close to total without quite getting there.
When to look up (Philippine time)
The eclipse happens overnight Thursday to Friday. Philippine viewers get the whole show above the horizon, from the first faint penumbral shading through maximum eclipse near dawn. Times below are Manila time, based on the global timeline from TimeandDate:
| Eclipse stage | Manila time (PH) | What you will see |
|---|---|---|
| Penumbral begins | 9:24 a.m., Aug 28* | *Begins Aug 28 UTC evening Aug 27 in the Americas; PH catches later stages at moonset |
| Partial phase begins | 10:34 a.m., Aug 28 | Shadow visibly bites the moon (below horizon for PH) |
| Maximum eclipse | 12:13 p.m., Aug 28 | 96% of the moon inside the umbra |
| Partial phase ends | 1:52 p.m., Aug 28 | Shadow slides off |
| Penumbral ends | 3:02 p.m., Aug 28 | Moon fully bright again |
Here is the honest catch for Filipino skywatchers: those clock times land after sunrise in the Philippines, which is why our earlier blood moon watch guide flagged that the country misses the main event live. The deep-red maximum plays out for the Americas and parts of Europe and Africa instead, much like last weekend when PAGASA tracked Typhoon Narra out of PAR and the region’s skies cleared for stargazers. What Filipinos can still do is catch livestreams, including TimeandDate’s own broadcast, and photograph the bright sturgeon full moon itself rising Thursday night.
Why this one is special
Two reasons. First, magnitude: at 96.2% obscuration, this is about as deep as a partial eclipse can get before flipping to total, so even distant viewers see a nearly fully reddened moon. Second, length: the partial phase stretches almost an hour and twenty minutes on either side of maximum, making it one of the longer lunar eclipses of the decade. NASA notes August’s full moon, the sturgeon moon, peaks Friday, giving eclipse chasers a two-for-one sky.
How to watch or shoot it
- West-facing viewers in North America, South America, Europe and Africa get the real thing; check local listings for exact rise times.
- In the Philippines, queue up a livestream instead; the geometry simply puts the moon below our horizon at peak.
- Photographers anywhere: use a tripod, manual focus on the moon, ISO 100-400, and bracket exposures since the red phase is much dimmer than a normal full moon.
- No filter or telescope needed; lunar eclipses are completely safe to view with the naked eye.
If clouds ruin your view, the next total lunar eclipse visible from the Philippines is not far off; we will map it out closer to the date.
