How to watch safely
A lunar eclipse is completely safe to watch with your eyes, binoculars or a telescope. You don’t need any filter.
Find a spot with a clear view toward the Moon. Binoculars show the color of Earth’s shadow well, and the sky around a deeply eclipsed Moon gets dark enough to see fainter stars. This one is penumbral: the Moon only dims slightly, so it’s easy to miss.
Upcoming eclipses
Questions
Is it safe to look at a lunar eclipse?
Yes. A lunar eclipse is just the Moon passing through Earth’s shadow; it’s completely safe to watch with your eyes, binoculars or a telescope.
Why does the Moon turn red?
Sunlight bends through Earth’s atmosphere into the shadow, and the atmosphere scatters away the blue light, leaving the reddish glow of every sunrise and sunset on Earth at once.
Who can see a lunar eclipse?
Anyone on the night side of Earth with the Moon above the horizon at the time. Unlike a solar eclipse, you don’t need to be in a narrow path.
Eclipse times and circumstances computed by SkyMate with the open-source astronomy-engine library; for critical planning, cross-check with NASA/GSFC eclipse predictions (Espenak). Data & Licences