Solar eclipse vs lunar eclipse: what is the difference? Total, annular, partial and penumbral explained
In a solar eclipse the Moon hides the Sun. In a lunar eclipse Earth’s shadow falls on the Moon. That one difference decides when each can happen, who can see it, how long it lasts and whether it is safe to look. Here are both, every type explained, with the real eclipses of 2027 and 2028 as examples.
The short answer
| Solar eclipse | Lunar eclipse | |
|---|---|---|
| What happens | The Moon passes between the Sun and Earth and hides the Sun | Earth passes between the Sun and the Moon, and its shadow falls on the Moon |
| Moon phase | Only at new moon | Only at full moon |
| Who can see it | Total or ring: a narrow strip; partial: a wider region around it | Everyone on the night side of Earth, where the Moon is up |
| How long | Totality lasts minutes: up to 6 min 23 s on 2 August 2027 | Totality can last over an hour: 1 h 12 min on 31 December 2028 |
| Types | Total, annular (“ring of fire”), partial, hybrid | Total (“blood moon”), partial, penumbral |
| Safe to look? | Only through eclipse glasses that meet ISO 12312-2, except during totality | Yes, with the naked eye, binoculars or a telescope |
| First in 2027 | 6 February 2027, annular | 20 February 2027, penumbral |
Why there isn’t an eclipse every month
The Moon goes round Earth once a month, but its orbit is tilted by about five degrees to the plane of Earth’s orbit round the Sun (NASA). So at most new moons the Moon passes a little above or below the Sun and its shadow misses Earth, and at most full moons it passes above or below Earth’s shadow.
Most new moons
The Moon passes above or below the Sun, so its shadow misses Earth
Eclipse season
The new moon lines up with the Sun, so its shadow falls on Earth
An eclipse needs a new or full moon close to one of the two points where the orbits cross. That lines up in two “eclipse seasons” a year, and each season brings two or three eclipses about two weeks apart. Our calculation shows them clearly: February 2027 (annular solar on 6 February, penumbral lunar on 20 February), July–August 2027 (lunar on 18 July, total solar on 2 August, lunar on 17 August), January 2028, July 2028 and December 2028. Every one of the solar eclipses falls within minutes of a new moon, and every lunar eclipse within minutes of a full moon.
Solar eclipses: total, annular, partial and hybrid
Total
Moon covers the whole Sun
2 August 2027
Annular
A ring of Sun around the Moon
6 February 2027
Partial
Part of the Sun covered
14 January 2029
Total. The Moon covers the whole Sun. The sky darkens to deep twilight, the brightest stars and planets appear, and the Sun’s pearly outer atmosphere, the corona, shows around the black Moon. This is seen only inside the umbra’s narrow path. On 2 August 2027 the Moon looks 6% wider than the Sun, which gives a long totality: up to 6 minutes 23 seconds near Luxor (NASA) and about 5 minutes in Mecca. Outside the path the same eclipse is partial: 95% of the Sun covered in Cairo, 86% in Madrid, 42% in London.
Annular (“ring of fire”). The Moon’s distance changes during the month; between now and the end of 2028 it ranges from 356,641 to 406,597 km. When an eclipse falls near the far end, the Moon looks slightly smaller than the Sun and cannot cover it, so a bright ring is left. The umbra ends before it reaches the ground, and the part beyond, the antumbra, gives the ring. On 6 February 2027 the Moon looks 92% as wide as the Sun. Lagos sees the ring for 5 min 37 s with the Sun only 1° above the horizon, just before sunset; Buenos Aires (82%) and São Paulo (78%) see a deep partial eclipse.
Partial. Only the penumbra reaches Earth, so nowhere sees more than part of the Sun covered. Every total and annular eclipse is also partial for the much larger region around its path. The next eclipse that is partial everywhere is on 14 January 2029.
Hybrid. Total in some places and annular in others, because the Moon is right on the edge of covering the Sun (NASA). These happen only a handful of times a century; the next is on 14 November 2031 (Al Jazeera).
Lunar eclipses: total, partial and penumbral
Penumbral
A faint grey shading
20 February 2027
Partial
A dark bite, red at its edge
6 July 2028
Total (“blood moon”)
The whole Moon dull red
31 December 2028
Penumbral. The Moon passes only through the penumbra, where Earth hides part of the Sun. The Moon dims slightly, often too little to notice by eye; a camera shows it best. There are three in 2027: 20 February 2027 (4 h 2 min), 18 July, which only grazes the penumbra for 25 min, and 17 August (3 h 40 min).
Partial. Part of the Moon enters the umbra and looks as if a dark bite has been taken out of it, often reddish at the edge. On 12 January 2028 only 3% of the Moon enters the umbra, for 58 min; on 6 July 2028 33% does, for 2 h 23 min.
Total (“blood moon”). The whole Moon is inside the umbra. It does not disappear: sunlight bent through Earth’s atmosphere, with its blue scattered away, lights it a dull copper red. NASA describes that light as all the sunrises and sunsets on Earth at that moment (quoted by NPR). The next is on 31 December 2028: totality 1 h 12 min, the partial phases 3 h 29 min, and the whole eclipse, penumbra included, 5 h 37 min.
Why half the world sees a lunar eclipse, but few see a total solar eclipse
Everyone who can see the Moon during a lunar eclipse sees the same thing at the same moment, because the Moon really is in Earth’s shadow. On 31 December 2028 the Moon is up at mid-eclipse in 15 of our 24 reference cities. A solar eclipse is different: the Moon’s shadow on Earth is small, and what you see depends on where you stand. On 2 August 2027, 12 of the same 24 cities see part of the Sun covered, and only Mecca sees it total.
Is it safe to look?
Solar eclipse: only with protection. NASA says safe solar viewers must meet the ISO 12312-2 international standard, and that ordinary sunglasses, however dark, are not safe. The only time to look without them is during totality itself, when the Moon covers the Sun’s bright face completely; put them back on as soon as the Sun starts to reappear. An annular eclipse never reaches totality, so it is never safe to look at without a viewer, not even at the ring. Cameras, binoculars and telescopes need a proper solar filter fitted at the front, and a pinhole projector, which casts an image of the Sun onto card, is a safe way to watch without looking up.
Lunar eclipse: completely safe. You are looking at the Moon, not the Sun, so you can watch with your own eyes, binoculars or a telescope for as long as you like.
Every eclipse in 2027 and 2028
Times are mid-eclipse in UTC. For a solar eclipse, the percentage is how much of the Sun is covered; “at sunset” or “at sunrise” means the eclipse is under way as the Sun sets or rises there. For a lunar eclipse, the cities listed have the Moon above the horizon at mid-eclipse. Choose your own city on our Eclipses page for local times.
| Date | Type | Mid-eclipse | How long | Seen from (of our 24 reference cities) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 February 2027 | Annular solar | 16:00 UTC | Ring 5 min 37 s at Lagos | Lagos (ring), Johannesburg (at sunset), São Paulo 78%, Buenos Aires 82%, Santiago 62% |
| 20 February 2027 | Penumbral lunar | 23:13 UTC | 4 h 2 min | London, Madrid, Cairo, Lagos, Nairobi, Johannesburg, Mecca, Dubai, Karachi, Delhi, Dhaka, Kuala Lumpur, New York, São Paulo, Buenos Aires |
| 18 July 2027 | Penumbral lunar | 16:03 UTC | 25 min | Nairobi, Johannesburg, Dubai, Karachi, Delhi, Dhaka, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Beijing, Tokyo, Sydney, Perth, Auckland |
| 2 August 2027 | Total solar | 10:07 UTC | Totality up to 6 min 23 s (NASA) | London 42%, Madrid 86%, Cairo 95%, Lagos 2%, Nairobi 31%, Mecca (total), Dubai 53%, Karachi 29%, Delhi 8%, Dhaka 3%, Jakarta (at sunset), Kuala Lumpur (at sunset) |
| 17 August 2027 | Penumbral lunar | 07:14 UTC | 3 h 40 min | Auckland, New York, Los Angeles, Mexico City, São Paulo, Buenos Aires, Santiago |
| 12 January 2028 | Partial lunar | 04:13 UTC | Partial phase 58 min, 3% of the Moon in the umbra | London, Madrid, Cairo, Lagos, New York, Los Angeles, Mexico City, São Paulo, Buenos Aires, Santiago |
| 26 January 2028 | Annular solar | 15:08 UTC | Ring not seen from our reference cities | London (at sunset), Madrid 82%, Lagos 2%, New York 3%, Mexico City 36%, São Paulo 14%, Buenos Aires 2%, Santiago 5% |
| 6 July 2028 | Partial lunar | 18:20 UTC | Partial phase 2 h 23 min, 33% of the Moon in the umbra | Cairo, Lagos, Nairobi, Johannesburg, Mecca, Dubai, Karachi, Delhi, Dhaka, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Beijing, Tokyo, Sydney, Perth, Auckland |
| 22 July 2028 | Total solar | 02:55 UTC | Totality 3 min 48 s at Sydney | Jakarta 89%, Kuala Lumpur 52%, Sydney (total), Perth 50%, Auckland 68% |
| 31 December 2028 | Total lunar | 16:52 UTC | Totality 1 h 12 min, whole eclipse 5 h 37 min | London, Cairo, Nairobi, Mecca, Dubai, Karachi, Delhi, Dhaka, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Beijing, Tokyo, Sydney, Perth, Auckland |
More detail: the total solar eclipse of 2 August 2027, city by city, and Grahan 2027, every eclipse of 2027 as seen from India and Pakistan.
What eclipses are called in other languages
In Arabic, an eclipse of the Sun is usually kusuf (كسوف الشمس) and an eclipse of the Moon khusuf (خسوف القمر). In Hindi and Urdu they are surya grahan or suraj grahan and chandra grahan or chand grahan. In Indonesian and Malay, gerhana matahari and gerhana bulan; in Turkish, güneş tutulması and ay tutulması. “Ring of fire” means an annular solar eclipse, and “blood moon” a total lunar eclipse.
Watch an eclipse in our simulator
Our Eclipses page lists the next solar and lunar eclipses for any city, with start, maximum and end in local time, and lets you drag the time bar to watch the Moon cover the Sun, or slide into Earth’s shadow, from where you live.
Questions people ask
What is the main difference between a solar and a lunar eclipse?
In a solar eclipse the Moon comes between the Sun and Earth and hides the Sun, so it can only happen at new moon. In a lunar eclipse Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon and its shadow darkens the Moon, so it can only happen at full moon.
Which is more common, a solar or a lunar eclipse?
Worldwide they are about as common: from now to the end of 2028 there are 4 solar and 6 lunar eclipses. From any one place, lunar eclipses are seen far more often, because each is visible from the whole night side of Earth, while a total solar eclipse is seen only along a narrow path.
What is a ring of fire eclipse?
An annular solar eclipse. The Moon is far enough away to look slightly smaller than the Sun, so a bright ring of Sun stays visible around it. On 6 February 2027 the Moon will look 92% as wide as the Sun; Lagos sees the ring for 5 min 37 s just before sunset.
What is a penumbral lunar eclipse?
The Moon passes only through the faint outer part of Earth’s shadow, the penumbra. It dims slightly, often too little to notice by eye. The eclipse of 20 February 2027 lasts 4 h 2 min; the one of 18 July 2027 grazes the penumbra for only 25 min.
Why does the Moon turn red in a total lunar eclipse?
Sunlight passing through Earth’s atmosphere is bent into the shadow, and the blue part is scattered away, so only red and orange light reaches the Moon. NASA describes it as the light of all the sunrises and sunsets on Earth at that moment.
When is the next total lunar eclipse?
On 31 December 2028, with mid-eclipse at 16:52 UTC. Totality lasts 1 h 12 min, and the Moon is up at mid-eclipse in 15 of our 24 reference cities, from London and Cairo to Delhi, Tokyo and Sydney.
How we calculated this
Eclipse times, types and the Moon’s size against the Sun come from Astronomy Engine, the library behind our Eclipses page, for every eclipse from October 2026 to the end of 2028. Local views use 24 reference cities spread across six continents; a solar eclipse counts as seen when the Sun is up for part of it, and a lunar eclipse when the Moon is up at mid-eclipse. Lengths of a total or annular phase are for the named city. The orbit tilt, eclipse seasons, the hybrid definition and the eye-safety advice are from NASA; the description of the red light is NASA’s, as quoted by NPR; the date of the next hybrid eclipse is from Al Jazeera; the longest totality of 2 August 2027 is NASA’s figure. The diagrams are not to scale.