Eclipses are among the most spectacular events in the night sky. OrbitalNodes.ai maintains a complete eclipse calendar through 2028, with live countdowns, visibility regions, and duration for every solar and lunar eclipse.
Lunar eclipses turn the Moon deep red and are visible from anywhere the Moon is above the horizon — no special equipment needed. Solar eclipses require you to be in the path of totality and demand proper eye protection.
🌑 VIEW ECLIPSE CALENDARYes — lunar eclipses are completely safe to view with your naked eye, binoculars, or a telescope. The Moon is only reflecting light, not emitting it, so there's no danger at any stage of a lunar eclipse.
Yes — never look at a solar eclipse without ISO 12312-2 certified eclipse glasses. The one exception is during the brief totality phase of a total solar eclipse, when the Sun's disc is completely covered — but this lasts only 1-7 minutes and you must put glasses back on the moment the Sun reappears.
Earth's atmosphere acts like a lens, bending sunlight around the planet and into its shadow. Red wavelengths bend more than blue, so the light that reaches the Moon in Earth's shadow is deep red — the same effect that makes sunsets red. The colour can vary from bright orange to deep blood red depending on atmospheric conditions.
In a total solar eclipse the Moon completely covers the Sun's disc, creating totality — a few minutes of near-darkness with the Sun's corona visible. In an annular eclipse the Moon is slightly further from Earth (at apogee) and appears smaller, leaving a bright "ring of fire" around the edges. Annular eclipses are more common but less spectacular.
Total solar eclipses happen roughly every 18 months somewhere on Earth, but any given location only gets one every 375 years on average. The August 2027 eclipse crossing Egypt is exceptional — over 6 minutes of totality, one of the longest this century.
During a total solar eclipse the sky darkens enough to see bright satellites, planets, and even stars. The ISS passes over the eclipse path about every 90 minutes and occasionally transits the eclipsed Sun — a rare photographic opportunity. During a lunar eclipse, satellite viewing is excellent as the sky is otherwise dark.
Egypt and Morocco offer the longest totality (over 6 minutes), excellent infrastructure, and reliably clear skies in August. Luxor and Aswan in Egypt sit near the centreline. Spain's earlier 2026 total eclipse is also accessible with up to 2 minutes 18 seconds of totality over the north coast.
A new moon occurs every month when the Moon is between Earth and the Sun — but because the Moon's orbit is tilted 5° relative to Earth's, it usually passes above or below Earth's shadow. A lunar eclipse only happens at full moon when the geometry lines up precisely enough for the Moon to enter Earth's shadow.
Orbital mirrors could one day extend twilight windows for eclipse chasers. What does the future night sky look like? OrbitalSolar.ai →