You might see the moon turn a rather beautiful shade of copper on Friday’s early morning…
South Africa (27 August 2026) – Early risers in South Africa could be up for a treat as a deep partial lunar eclipse will grace our skies early on Friday morning!
In the wee hours of Friday 28 August, the partial lunar eclipse will take place as the Earth moves between the Sun and the Moon, causing Earth’s shadow to fall across the lunar surface.
It won’t be a total lunar eclipse, meaning the entire Moon will not move into Earth’s darkest shadow. But this will be a particularly deep partial eclipse, with most of the Moon covered at its peak.
According to Vox Weather, the western parts of South Africa will generally have the best view near maximum eclipse, as the Moon will remain higher above the horizon for longer in the west.
The eclipse will become clearly visible to the eye at around 04:33 on Friday morning. The eclipse reaches its maximum at 06:12, when the greatest portion of the Moon will be covered by Earth’s shadow.
For most people hoping to catch the show, around 04:30 is a good time to start watching.
Here are the key eclipse times shared by Vox Weather:
03:23: Penumbral eclipse begins
04:33: Partial eclipse begins
06:12: Maximum eclipse
07:51: Partial eclipse ends globally
09:01: Eclipse ends completely
The first stage, known as the penumbral eclipse, happens when the Moon enters the lighter outer part of Earth’s shadow. The change can be quite subtle. Things become much easier to spot once the partial eclipse begins at 04:33, when part of the Moon enters Earth’s darker central shadow.
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If conditions are right, the Moon might put on a colour show. During the deeper stages of the eclipse, parts of it may appear in ‘sunset colours’ like red, orange, copper or brown. That happens because some sunlight continues travelling through Earth’s atmosphere before being bent into the planet’s shadow and reaching the Moon.
Of course, whether you will actually get a good look will also come down to the weather in your region! Cloud cover could spoil the view in some areas, so we would recommend keeping an eye on conditions as Friday morning approaches.
Vox Weather’s forecast shares that the coastal regions of KwaZulu-Natal and parts of South Africa’s central interior look to have good viewing chances.
Did you know that an eclipse never comes alone?
They happen during short windows called ‘eclipse seasons’, when the Sun, Earth and Moon are lined up closely enough for shadows to fall in just the right place.
During one of these seasons, the Moon first passes between Earth and the Sun, creating a solar eclipse, and roughly two weeks later it reaches the opposite side of Earth, where it can pass through Earth’s shadow and create a lunar eclipse – or the order can be reversed.
That’s why eclipses tend to arrive in pairs. The partial lunar eclipse we’ll see on Friday is essentially the partner to the total solar eclipse that happened on 12 August that was not visible in South Africa’s skies.
So, look up to the sky early on Friday morning for spoils! If weather conditions in your region aren’t favourable, or if you’re not an early bird – this livestream on YouTube will cover the partial eclipse. View it as it happens, or watch it after!
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