Lunar Eclipse

When the Earth’s shadow falls on the Moon and it darkens for a while.

How each type looks

Types of lunar eclipses — how the Earth’s shadow falls on the Moon.

Lunar Eclipse (Penumbral)
Lunar Eclipse (Partial)
Lunar Eclipse (Total)
  • Lunar Eclipse (Total)

    Tuesday, 3 March 2026

    5:18 PM

    Bikram Sambat: Falgun 19, 2082

    Not visible
  • Lunar Eclipse (Partial)

    Friday, 28 August 2026

    9:57 AM

    Bikram Sambat: Bhadra 12, 2083

    Not visible

About Lunar Eclipse Data

If a lunar eclipse spans two dates — starting before midnight and ending after — it is attributed to the date of its maximum phase, even though both phases may technically begin the previous day.

Moonrise and moonset times are parallax-corrected for more accurate eclipse-sighting timings.

Hinduism and Lunar Eclipse

A lunar eclipse matters religiously only if its umbral phase is visible to the naked eye. Penumbral eclipses aren’t visible this way, so no rituals apply to them — most Hindu calendars exclude penumbral eclipses entirely.

Visibility is location-specific: if the eclipse isn’t visible from your city, Sutak precautions don’t apply, even if it’s visible nearby. Note that “visibility” here means astronomical visibility (the eclipse occurring in your sky), not whether clouds or weather happen to block your view — the eclipse still counts even if you can’t physically see the Moon.

Mythological painting of Vishnu (Krishna), crowned with a peacock feather and ringed by a golden halo, beheading the demon Rahu with the Sudarshana Chakra while gods, sages and asuras watch.
Mohini (Vishnu) beheads Rahu during the churning of the ocean — the episode behind the belief that Rahu swallows the Sun and the Moon, and so causes an eclipse.