Total lunar eclipse of December 20, 2029: 54 minutes of totality for four continents.
The second total lunar eclipse of 2029 falls on the evening of December 20, the night before the December solstice. Totality lasts 54 minutes, from 22:15 to 23:09 UTC, with greatest eclipse at 22:42 UTC and an umbral magnitude of 1.117. It is an evening event for Europe and Africa, a late-afternoon moonrise event for the Americas, and a pre-dawn moonset event for eastern Asia and Australia, so most of the world's population sees at least part of it. No glasses or equipment needed. This page gives the contact times, who sees what, and how it compares with June's.
What time is the eclipse?
| Stage | UTC | UK (GMT) | US Eastern (EST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penumbral eclipse begins | 19:42, Dec 20 | 19:42 | 14:42 (Moon below horizon) |
| Partial eclipse begins | 20:55 | 20:55 | 15:55 (Moon below horizon) |
| Totality begins | 22:15 | 22:15 | 17:15, Moon low in the east |
| Greatest eclipse | 22:42 | 22:42 | 17:42 |
| Totality ends | 23:09 | 23:09 | 18:09 |
| Partial eclipse ends | 00:29, Dec 21 | 00:29 | 19:29 |
| Penumbral eclipse ends | 01:41, Dec 21 | 01:41 | 20:41 |
Times from the NASA Goddard eclipse catalog and EclipseWise; the two differ by about 20 seconds on the totality contacts, and totality is 54 minutes by one and 53.7 by the other. Greatest eclipse at 22:42 UTC is 23:42 in Central Europe, 00:42 December 21 in Cairo and Johannesburg, 04:12 in Delhi, 06:42 in Beijing, 07:42 in Tokyo, and 09:42 in Sydney.
Where is the eclipse visible?
Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and western and central Asia see the entire eclipse with the Moon high in the evening sky; for the UK and western Europe totality falls conveniently between about 22:00 and 23:30 local time. Eastern North America sees the Moon rise around sunset on December 20 already in partial eclipse, with totality beginning at 17:15 EST while the Moon is still low in the east and the partial phases visible through the early evening; the central and western United States see the Moon rise after totality has ended, with the partial phase still under way. South America sees the Moon rise during the eclipse. Eastern Asia and Australia see the eclipse before dawn on December 21 as the Moon sets, with Japan and eastern Australia catching totality low in the west. Alaska, Hawaii, and the central Pacific miss it.
How does it compare with the June 2029 eclipse?
It is shallower and shorter. In June 2029 the Moon passed almost dead center through the shadow, umbral magnitude 1.844, for 1 hour 42 minutes of totality. In December it passes south of center, gamma minus 0.381, for 54 minutes at magnitude 1.117. The practical difference is color: with the Moon's northern limb only a little inside the umbra's edge, that limb will stay a bright orange or even yellowish while the southern part goes deep red, giving the graded look that photographs well. June's Moon will be darker and more uniform. Together the two make 2029 one of only a handful of years this decade with two total lunar eclipses.
Why are there two total lunar eclipses in 2029?
Eclipses come in seasons about six months apart, when the full or new moon falls near one of the two points where the Moon's orbit crosses Earth's orbital plane. In 2029 both seasons deliver a full moon close enough to the node for the Moon to enter the umbra completely, while the new moons in the same seasons fall too far from the node for a central solar eclipse, which is why all four solar eclipses of 2029 are partial. The pattern repeats on a roughly 18-year cycle: 2011 also had two total lunar eclipses and four partial solar eclipses.
When is the next total lunar eclipse after this one?
Not in 2030. The lunar eclipses of 2030 are a partial on June 15 and a penumbral on December 9, so December 20, 2029 closes a run of three total lunar eclipses in twelve months, after December 31, 2028 and June 26, 2029.
See tonight's moon on the dashboard
Quick answers.
What time is the December 20, 2029 lunar eclipse?
Totality runs from 22:15 to 23:09 UTC, greatest eclipse at 22:42 UTC. That is the late evening in the UK and Europe and around moonrise in the late afternoon on the US East Coast.
Can I see it from the United States?
The East Coast sees the Moon rise around sunset already in partial eclipse, with totality from 17:15 to 18:09 EST low in the eastern sky. Farther west the Moon rises later and the total phase is over, but the partial phase is visible into the evening.
How long is totality?
54 minutes, from 22:15 to 23:09 UTC, about half the length of the June 26, 2029 eclipse.