Home   Sun, Moon & Space   Eclipses   December 3–4, 2169 Partial Lunar Eclipse

December 3–4, 2169 Partial Lunar Eclipse

This eclipse is visible in Columbus - go to local timings and animation

What This Lunar Eclipse Looks Like

The curvature of the shadow's path and the apparent rotation of the Moon's disk is due to the Earth's rotation.

Live Eclipse Animation will start at:
Live Eclipse Animation has ended.
You are using an outdated browser, to view the animation please update or switch to a modern browser. Alternatively you can view the old animation by clicking here.

Where to See the Eclipse

Try our new interactive eclipse maps. Zoom in and search for accurate eclipse times and visualizations for any location.

Regions seeing, at least, some parts of the eclipse: Much of Europe, Asia, Australia, North America, South America, Pacific, Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Arctic.

Expand for a list of selected cities where the partial eclipse is visible

This eclipse is visible in Columbus - go to local timings and animation

Eclipse Map and Animation

The animation shows where this partial lunar eclipse is visible during the night (dark “wave” slowly moving across the Earth's surface).

Shades of darkness

Night, moon high up in sky.

Moon between 12 and 18 degrees above horizon.

Moon between 6 and 12 degrees above horizon. Make sure you have free line of sight.

Moon between 0 and 6 degrees above horizon. May be hard to see due to brightness and line of sight.

Day, moon and eclipse both not visible.

Note: Twilight will affect the visibility of the eclipse, as well as weather.

Eclipse is visible.

Only penumbral phase visible. Misses partial phase.

The eclipse is not visible at all.

Note: Areas with lighter shadings left (West) of the center will experience the eclipse after moonrise/sunset. Areas with lighter shadings right (East) of the center will experience the eclipse until moonset/sunrise. Actual eclipse visibility depends on weather conditions and line of sight to the Moon.

When the Eclipse Happens Worldwide — Timeline

Lunar eclipses can be visible from everywhere on the night side of the Earth, if the sky is clear. From some places the entire eclipse will be visible, while in other areas the Moon will rise or set during the eclipse.

Eclipse Stages WorldwideUTC TimeLocal Time in Columbus*Visible in Columbus
Penumbral Eclipse beginsDec 4 at 07:48:23Dec 4 at 2:48:23 amYes
Partial Eclipse beginsDec 4 at 08:57:06Dec 4 at 3:57:06 amYes
Maximum EclipseDec 4 at 10:29:42Dec 4 at 5:29:42 amYes
Partial Eclipse endsDec 4 at 12:02:23Dec 4 at 7:02:23 amYes
Penumbral Eclipse endsDec 4 at 13:10:59Dec 4 at 8:10:59 amNo, below the horizon

* The Moon is below the horizon in Columbus some of the time, so that part of the eclipse is not visible.

Quick Facts About This Eclipse

DataValueComments
Magnitude0.837Fraction of the Moon’s diameter covered by Earth’s umbra
Obscuration87.4%Percentage of the Moon's area covered by Earth's umbra
Penumbral magnitude1.865Fraction of the Moon's diameter covered by Earth's penumbra
Overall duration5 hours, 23 minutesPeriod between the beginning and end of all eclipse phases
Duration of partial phase3 hours, 5 minutesPeriod between the beginning and end of the partial phase
Duration of penumbral phases2 hours, 17 minutesCombined period of both penumbral phases

Eclipse calculations usually accurate to a few seconds

An Eclipse Never Comes Alone!

A solar eclipse always occurs about two weeks before or after a lunar eclipse.

Usually, there are two eclipses in a row, but other times, there are three during the same eclipse season.

All eclipses 1900 — 2199

This is the first eclipse this season.

Second eclipse this season: December 18, 2169 — Annular Solar Eclipse