An “eclipse season” begins on Monday, July 27, marking the start of a period when the Earth, moon and sun align closely enough for eclipses to occur. Running from July 27 through Aug. 31, this 35-day window will bring two of the year’s biggest celestial events — the total solar eclipse on Aug. 12 and an exceptionally deep partial lunar eclipse on Aug. 27-28. Although eclipses can seem random, they always occur during these predictable eclipse seasons, which repeat roughly every six months. Here’s everything you need to know about this summer’s eclipse season.

Eclipses can occur because the sun is roughly 400 times larger than the moon, but 400 times farther away.

Outside an eclipse season, eclipses cannot occur because the moon passes either above or below the precise alignment needed with Earth and the sun.

The moon’s orbital path around Earth is slightly tilted with respect to the ecliptic — the path of the sun through our sky. That means the moon must cross the ecliptic twice each orbit. If the sun is at one of those crossing points, an eclipse occurs.

From July 27 through Aug. 31, the sun lies close enough to one of the points where the sun and moon’s path through the sky cross. This is an eclipse season, which occurs approximately every 173 days and typically lasts between 34 and 38 days.

The season’s headline event is the total solar eclipse on Aug. 12, when a new moon will move precisely across the sun along a narrow path crossing eastern Greenland, western Iceland and country-about-to-have-3-solar-eclipses-in-3-years/ . A partial solar eclipse will also be visible across much of Europe, North Africa, the North Atlantic and parts of North America .

Just over two weeks later, on Aug. 27–28, the same eclipse season will produce a deep partial lunar eclipse, with 96% of the full moon entering Earth’s dark central shadow. Although the moon will not be totally eclipsed, about 96% of its surface will glow shades of copper and red, giving it the appearance of a near-“blood moon.”

What Is An Eclipse Season?

This week’s new moon is significant because it belongs to the same lunar cycle that will produce August’s total solar eclipse . Most new moons do not generate eclipses because the moon’s orbit is tilted by about five degrees relative to Earth’s orbit around the sun. Usually, a new moon appears slightly above or below the sun in our sky. Only during an eclipse season does the sun move close enough to one of the moon’s two orbital crossing points — known as the lunar nodes — for the Earth, moon and sun to line up closely enough to create eclipses. A new moon occurring near one node can produce a solar eclipse. Roughly two weeks later, a full moon passing the opposite node can produce a lunar eclipse.

Why Solar And Lunar Eclipses Come In Pairs

Once an eclipse season begins, two eclipses almost always follow — and sometimes three. The first arrives on Aug. 12, when a total solar eclipse will briefly plunge parts of Greenland, Iceland and northern Spain into daytime darkness. Along the path of totality, observers will see the sun’s corona shining around the silhouetted moon — an experience widely regarded as one of nature’s greatest spectacles. On Aug. 12, totality will last for up to 2 minutes 18 seconds. It’s the first total solar eclipse since April 8, 2024 , when one occurred across North America . The same orbital alignment then produces a lunar eclipse about two weeks later, when Earth passes directly between the sun and the full moon, casting its shadow across the lunar surface. Occasionally, eclipse seasons can produce three eclipses, but most feature one solar and one lunar eclipse. In Early January 2028, a partial lunar eclipse will be followed by an annular solar eclipse and then another partial lunar eclipse, according to TimeAndDate.com .

August’s Overlooked Deep Partial Lunar Eclipse

Most of the attention so far has been around Aug. 12’s total solar eclipse, but in its wake comes a landmark lunar eclipse. During the night of Aug. 27-28, just over 96% of the full Sturgeon Moon will pass into Earth’s umbral shadow, leaving only a thin crescent in direct sunlight. The remainder of the moon will glow shades of orange, copper and deep red as sunlight is filtered through Earth’s atmosphere. Although technically not a total lunar eclipse, it will closely resemble a classic “blood moon” and is expected to be the most impressive lunar eclipse visible worldwide until the total lunar eclipse of Dec. 31, 2028. It will be visible across North America, South America, Europe and Africa, with the Americas enjoying the best conditions as the entire event unfolds during the night when the moon is high in the night sky. The partial phase will take about 3 hours and 27 minutes.