Eclipses
When is the next blood moon?
As of 19 Oct 2026, the next blood moon is the total lunar eclipse of 31 Dec 2028, 16:51 UTC, in Cancer. Totality lasts 72 minutes.
Next:
- Next blood moon
- 31 Dec 2028, 16:51 UTC
- Sign
- Cancer
- Totality
- 72 minutes
The next one
The next blood moon, minute by minute
The featured total lunar eclipse begins its faint outer phase at 31 Dec 2028, 14:03 UTC. The Moon's edge starts to enter the dark shadow at 31 Dec 2028, 15:07 UTC, and the total phase begins at 31 Dec 2028, 16:15 UTC. Its midpoint falls at 31 Dec 2028, 16:51 UTC. The total phase ends at 31 Dec 2028, 17:28 UTC. The partial phase ends at 31 Dec 2028, 18:36 UTC, and the outer phase at 31 Dec 2028, 19:40 UTC. All of these times are in UTC, so convert them to your own clock before you plan an evening. Set one reminder for the start of the total phase and a second for its end, so the whole window stays on your calendar.
- The Moon enters Earth's faint outer shadow.
- The Moon begins to enter the dark shadow.
- Totality begins: the whole Moon is inside the dark shadow.
- Greatest eclipse, with the Moon in Cancer.
- Totality ends.
- The Moon leaves the dark shadow.
- The Moon leaves the faint outer shadow.
The whole Moon passes into Earth's dark shadow. Totality lasts about 72 minutes.
Why red
Why the Moon turns red
A blood moon is the popular name for a total lunar eclipse. In that phase the whole Moon moves into Earth's shadow and takes on a deep copper colour instead of its usual pale grey. The name describes that colour and nothing more, and it has stuck because the colour is the part people remember. Earth's atmosphere bends sunlight, and the red end of that light is the part that reaches the Moon during totality.
You do not need the mechanics to enjoy the colour. The shade changes from one eclipse to the next, because the air around Earth's edge is never exactly the same twice. Some eclipses look bright orange, and others look dark and brick-red. Both are the same kind of event, seen through different air. The colour often shifts during the phase itself, so the Moon can look different at the start of totality than near the middle.
The featured total phase lasts 72 minutes, which is the span in which the colour can be seen. The whole Moon passes into Earth's dark shadow. Many people find the slow change as interesting as the colour alone, because the Moon takes on its tone gradually rather than all at once.
Your reading of the colour can stay simple. The red comes from light passing through air, and it carries no message beyond the eclipse itself. Treat it the way you would treat a sunset: a clear, lovely thing that is happening, and that asks only for your attention while it lasts.
Every blood moon
Every blood moon to 2036
The list below gathers every total lunar eclipse computed as of 19 Oct 2026, up to 2036. It counts 9 total lunar eclipses in that span, and each one is a blood moon by the same definition as the featured eclipse. Partial and penumbral lunar eclipses stay out of the list. A partial eclipse covers only part of the Moon, and a penumbral eclipse passes through only the faint outer shadow, so neither turns the whole Moon red. Use the dates as a reference for planning, and check the times against your own clock before you rely on any one of them.
| Date | Sign | Totality |
|---|---|---|
| Cancer | 72 minutes | |
evening of 25 Jun in New York | Capricorn | 103 minutes |
| Gemini | 55 minutes | |
| Scorpio | 67 minutes | |
| Aries | 48 minutes | |
| Libra | 51 minutes | |
| Aries | 80 minutes | |
| Leo | 75 minutes | |
evening of 6 Aug in New York | Aquarius | 96 minutes |
Not a blood moon
| Date | Type | Sign |
|---|---|---|
| penumbral | Virgo | |
| penumbral | Capricorn | |
| penumbral | Aquarius | |
| partial | Cancer | |
| partial | Capricorn | |
| partial | Sagittarius | |
| penumbral | Gemini | |
| penumbral | Scorpio | |
| penumbral | Sagittarius | |
| penumbral | Taurus | |
| penumbral | Libra | |
| partial | Aries | |
| penumbral | Virgo | |
| partial | Aquarius |
Watching
How to watch a blood moon
A total lunar eclipse is one of the easiest sky events to watch. You do not need a filter, and the Moon can be seen with the naked eye or through binoculars. Pick a spot with a low, clear view of the sky where the Moon sits, and give yourself the whole window rather than one moment. The stages unfold slowly, so a chair and a warm layer will help more than any equipment does.
The window to plan around runs from 31 Dec 2028, 14:03 UTC to 31 Dec 2028, 19:40 UTC, in UTC. The total phase draws most attention. It begins at 31 Dec 2028, 16:15 UTC, ends at 31 Dec 2028, 17:28 UTC and lasts 72 minutes. During the partial phases, watch the Moon's edge rather than the clock. The colour may deepen or fade as the Moon moves further into the shadow, and it tends to vary from one part of the phase to the next.
If you want to photograph it, a steady support matters more than the lens. A tripod works, and so does resting the camera on a wall or a car roof. Take a set of frames across the stages rather than one long exposure, because the brightness changes across totality and the frames will show that change. Keep the flash off, since it does nothing useful for the Moon and it washes out the faint colour.
Most of the event is a slow, quiet wait. Bring a flask, a blanket and a book you do not mind putting down. The lunation page sets out the Moon's monthly cycle, which helps place one eclipse among the others. Read it as background, and let your own viewing be the main event.
Your sign
The next blood moon for your sign
The featured total lunar eclipse falls in Cancer. That is a fact about the sky at the moment of the eclipse, and it is not a verdict on your own sign. An eclipse reaches a personal chart through its house, and the houses are counted from the reader's Sun sign. Use the birth chart calculator to find which house the event touches in your chart, then read the matching house section below. Each section names one area of life and one practical attention, and none of them describes a result you have to reach.
Aries — your 4th house
The blood moon of 31 Dec 2028 falls in your 4th house.
The fourth house is home and family roots, and the private base you come back to when the day is done. A total lunar eclipse touching this house draws attention to the place where you feel most settled, and to the people who share it with you. It tends to feel like a homecoming, or like an honest look at what home has become. Practical attention: tidy one corner of your living space and notice what you feel while you do it. Let that feeling guide the next small change.
Taurus — your 3rd house
The blood moon of 31 Dec 2028 falls in your 3rd house.
The third house covers daily conversation, short journeys, siblings, neighbours, and the messages you send and receive. An eclipse in this house asks you to notice how you speak and how you listen. It may bring a conversation you have been putting off, or a letter that wants a second reading. Practical attention: reread a message that matters once more, and remove the sentence you would not want to hear back.
Gemini — your 2nd house
The blood moon of 31 Dec 2028 falls in your 2nd house.
The second house holds what you value, what you own, and the skills you can count on from one week to the next. An eclipse here draws attention to the things that support daily life and to the way you decide what is worth keeping. It tends to feel like a question about what is truly yours. Practical attention: list the three things you rely on most each week, and check whether each one still does its job. Keep the list short and honest.
Cancer — your 1st house
The blood moon of 31 Dec 2028 falls in your 1st house.
The first house is the part of a chart that describes how you begin, how you present yourself, and how you move into a new room. A total lunar eclipse that touches this house draws attention to your own starting point. It often brings a question about what you want other people to know first. The house is where that question lives. Practical attention: before you start a new project, write down the one thing you would be glad to be remembered for.
Leo — your 12th house
The blood moon of 31 Dec 2028 falls in your 12th house.
The twelfth house is the house of retreat, rest, the unseen, and what happens in private before it appears in public. An eclipse in this house draws attention to the quiet parts of a life, and to endings that need room before anything new can begin. It tends to feel like a pause rather than a push. Practical attention: set aside one evening with no plans and no screens, and notice which thought returns most often.
Virgo — your 11th house
The blood moon of 31 Dec 2028 falls in your 11th house.
The eleventh house covers friendships, groups, shared hopes, and the networks you belong to. An eclipse here draws attention to the people you count on, and to the goals you share with them. It often feels like a turning point in a friendship or in a community project you care about. Practical attention: contact one friend you have drifted away from, and ask them what they are most looking forward to.
Libra — your 10th house
The blood moon of 31 Dec 2028 falls in your 10th house.
The tenth house is the public side of life: career, reputation, responsibilities, and the way others see your work. A total lunar eclipse touching this house draws attention to the role you have taken on in front of other people. It tends to feel like a moment to check whether that role still fits you. Practical attention: write down one duty you carry in public, and decide whether you still want it, or whether it needs a clearer boundary.
Scorpio — your 9th house
The blood moon of 31 Dec 2028 falls in your 9th house.
The ninth house covers belief, study, long journeys, teaching, and the wider questions you bring to your life. An eclipse in this house asks you to look at the frame you use to make sense of things. It tends to feel like a reason to read something more slowly than usual, or to talk with someone who sees the world differently. Practical attention: pick one idea you hold firmly and look for the strongest argument against it.
Sagittarius — your 8th house
The blood moon of 31 Dec 2028 falls in your 8th house.
The eighth house holds what is shared: intimacy, joint resources, debts and inheritances, and the things people keep private from the world. An eclipse here draws attention to trust, and to what has been held in common for a long time without being examined. It often feels like a deeper and quieter kind of attention than the houses around it. Practical attention: name one shared arrangement you have not looked at in a while, and read its terms before the next conversation about it.
Capricorn — your 7th house
The blood moon of 31 Dec 2028 falls in your 7th house.
The seventh house is the house of one-to-one partnerships, agreements, and the people who sit across the table from you. A lunar eclipse touching this house draws attention to balance, and to what you owe a partner, a colleague or a close friend. It tends to feel like a moment for clear mutual terms. Practical attention: before you agree to a shared plan, ask the other person to state the terms in their own words, then repeat them back to check.
Aquarius — your 6th house
The blood moon of 31 Dec 2028 falls in your 6th house.
The sixth house covers daily work, routines, the small tasks that fill a week, and the ordinary habits that keep a life running. An eclipse here draws attention to how your days are built. It tends to feel like a call to adjust a routine rather than overhaul it. Practical attention: choose one repeated task that has grown heavier than it needs to be, and simplify it before the end of the week. A small change is easier to keep than a sweeping one.
Pisces — your 5th house
The blood moon of 31 Dec 2028 falls in your 5th house.
The fifth house holds creativity, play, romance, hobbies, and whatever you make for the joy of making it. An eclipse in this house invites a little more play into the week. It often feels warmer and lighter than a plain working day, and it can show which creative project still has life in it. Practical attention: spend one hour on something you make with no goal attached, and notice when you stop caring whether it turns out well.
Frequently asked questions
When is the next blood moon?
The featured total lunar eclipse reaches its midpoint at 31 Dec 2028, 16:51 UTC. Its total phase begins at 31 Dec 2028, 16:15 UTC and lasts 72 minutes. All times on this page are in UTC, so convert them to your own clock before you plan. Check the times against a timetable you trust, and allow some extra time to find a clear view of the sky.
What is a blood moon?
A blood moon is the popular name for a total lunar eclipse. In that phase the whole Moon moves into Earth's shadow and takes on a deep copper colour instead of its usual pale grey. The name describes that colour and nothing more. It is a shadow passing over the Moon, and the colour is the part most people remember afterwards.
Why does the Moon turn red in a total lunar eclipse?
Earth's air bends sunlight toward the Moon, and the blue part of that light is scattered out on the way, so mostly red light arrives. The shade changes from one eclipse to another, because the air around Earth's edge is never exactly the same. A bright orange Moon and a dark brick-red Moon are both total lunar eclipses.
How long does the red phase last?
The red phase is the total phase, and for the featured eclipse it lasts 72 minutes. The partial phases on either side are the stages when Earth's shadow still covers part of the Moon. The penumbral edges are so faint that many people miss them altogether. The total phase is the part that gives the colour, so that is the window to watch if you only have a short time.
Is every lunar eclipse a blood moon?
No. A blood moon is a total lunar eclipse, and a partial or penumbral lunar eclipse does not turn the whole Moon red. A penumbral eclipse passes the Moon through only Earth's faint outer shadow. A partial eclipse covers only part of the Moon. The list on this page keeps only the total eclipses, because only those give the full colour.
What sign is the next blood moon in?
The featured total lunar eclipse falls in Cancer. That is a fact about the sky, not a description of your own sign or chart. To find your house, count from your Sun sign as the first house to the eclipse sign, then read the matching house section. Houses here are counted from the Sun sign, so the same sky touches different people in different areas.
Method & limits
Astronomy first, reflection second.
Every date here is computed with Astronomy Engine, run once into this site's event tables. They are geocentric, in the tropical zodiac, in UTC to the minute, with your own zone beside them once the page loads. The sentence at the top is dated for the data date shown at the top, midnight UTC. Your browser corrects it against your own clock. Readings are for reflection, never health, legal or money guidance. Nothing about you is sent anywhere.