The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has announced that a partial lunar eclipse will be visible across parts of Africa, including Nigeria, and several other regions of the world on Friday, August 28, 2026.
The celestial event, popularly described as a “blood moon” because the Moon can take on a reddish or orange appearance during the eclipse, will occur as the Moon passes through Earth’s shadow.
NASA said the eclipse will be visible from the Americas, Africa, Europe and parts of the Pacific, with the peak occurring during the night of August 27 into the early hours of August 28, depending on the location.
For viewers in Nigeria, the eclipse will begin with the penumbral phase at about 2:23am on Friday, when the Moon first enters the lighter outer portion of Earth’s shadow.
The partial eclipse will begin at about 4:12am, when Earth’s darker shadow starts covering part of the lunar surface.
The eclipse will reach its maximum in Nigeria at approximately 5:12am, with about 93 percent of the Moon’s surface obscured from Lagos.
The event will then gradually end as the Moon moves out of Earth’s shadow. In Lagos, the partial phase will continue until about 6:13am, while the entire penumbral phase will end at approximately 6:47am.
NASA describes the event as a “not-quite-total lunar eclipse”, meaning the Moon will not be completely covered by Earth’s darkest shadow. However, most of the lunar surface will enter the umbra, potentially producing the reddish appearance associated with a blood moon.
The eclipse will be more prominently visible in parts of the Americas, where observers will have access to more of the event. In Africa, Europe and other regions, visibility will depend on the local timing and the position of the Moon in the sky.
NASA said on its website:
“Aug. 27-28, 2026, partial in Americas, Europe, Africa, Western Asia.”
Unlike a solar eclipse, a lunar eclipse can be viewed safely with the naked eye, meaning observers do not need special protective glasses to watch the event.
The August eclipse is one of several notable astronomical events taking place in 2026, with the next lunar eclipse visible from Nigeria expected to be a penumbral lunar eclipse in February 2027.
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