South Africa woke up to a spectacular deep partial lunar eclipse this morning, with the Moon taking on beautiful copper and reddish tones.
South Africa (28 August 2026) – While much of South Africa was still sleeping, early risers were treated to something rather special in the sky this morning. A deep partial lunar eclipse unfolded in the early hours of Friday, with the Moon slipping into Earth’s shadow and taking on darker, coppery and reddish tones along the way.
At maximum eclipse, around 96% of the Moon’s visible disc was inside Earth’s darkest shadow. While it was not technically a total lunar eclipse, the sight came remarkably close, leaving only a small portion of the Moon illuminated.
And, as always, there was one other factor that could make or break the show: the weather.
Thankfully, the Vox Weather girls, Annette Botha and Michelle du Plessis, were keeping a close eye on things. The meteorologists had been tracking the conditions ahead of the eclipse and sharing updates with their followers, helping South Africans know where they stood the best chance of seeing the celestial event.
Now, we’re getting to share some of their beautiful eclipse posts and photographs with you too. Thank you, Annette and Michelle, for helping us keep one eye on the skies!
The eclipse began with the subtle penumbral phase at 03:23, before the partial eclipse became visible at around 04:33. Maximum eclipse was reached at 06:12, when almost the entire Moon was covered by Earth’s shadow.
The Moon’s reddish or coppery appearance during an eclipse happens because sunlight passes through Earth’s atmosphere before reaching the Moon. The atmosphere scatters much of the blue light, while more of the red and orange light makes its way through, giving the eclipsed Moon its distinctive warm glow.
And this particular eclipse had an extra challenge for South African skywatchers: the Moon was sitting very low towards the western horizon as the eclipse reached its peak. That meant a clear view, minimal cloud and an unobstructed western horizon were all important.
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And if you missed it, don’t worry. You can still enjoy the magic through the incredible photographs and videos being shared by skywatchers across the country.
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A huge shoutout to Annette Botha and Michelle du Plessis of Vox Weather for their forecasts, updates and beautiful coverage of the event
You can catch up on the streamed video below:
Sources: Various – Linked Above
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