Total lunar eclipse (2033)

An Asian-evening totality — from Seoul the reddened Moon climbs the early-night eastern sky.

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The story

On the evening of 8 October 2033 a total lunar eclipse hangs over Asia. From Seoul it begins as a "moonrise eclipse" — the Moon comes up in the east already in eclipse. A red Moon near the horizon looks larger through the Moon illusion, and it is the composition photographers love most.

It is an eclipse made for city skylines and mountain ridges. The charm of a lunar eclipse is its leisure: unlike a solar eclipse it unfolds over hours, can be watched from a balcony after dinner, needs no telescope, and can be photographed with a tripod and a phone's night mode.

The Moon passes fairly deep through the centre of Earth's shadow, so a rich red is expected during totality. The autumn constellations — Pisces and the Great Square of Pegasus — rise beside it, and stars usually lost in city light come out around the red Moon.

Eighteen months after the April 2032 eclipse, it is the second total lunar eclipse in a row visible from Korea in the evening. The sky view replay lets you walk through that evening's Seoul sky in advance; the timetable from first to last contact will be updated as the date nears.

Why it matters

A moonrise eclipse is a rare chance to capture the red Moon on the horizon with a landscape. It is far more striking in photographs than an eclipse high in the sky, and the Moon illusion makes it look large to the eye as well.

The eclipses of April 2032 and October 2033 are back-to-back opportunities for Korea to see totality in the evening. The next comparable one comes after 2036, so these two years set the standard for a while.

Recording the Moon's colour and brightness at each total eclipse on the Danjon scale (0 black to 4 bright copper) is a long-standing citizen-science way of measuring dust in the stratosphere. Eclipses after volcanic eruptions are dark and those in clear years bright — the 2033 rating will be set by that year's atmosphere.

How to watch

Choose the October 2033 eclipse in the sky view's event list to replay the red Moon rising over Seoul's eastern horizon in early evening. Moving the location west (Beijing, say) lets the Moon climb higher before the eclipse begins; farther east (Tokyo) it rises already total.

Select the Moon for its altitude, bearing, phase and 24-hour track from your location. Checking the moonrise time and bearing in advance and finding a spot with an open eastern view is the key to this eclipse.

The orbit view replay shows the Sun–Earth–Moon alignment with Earth's shadow cone, and how deeply the Moon crosses the shadow's centre sets the length of totality.

See this for yourself — open that sky at that moment · replay the moment in the orbit view

Background

Which phases a moonrise eclipse shows depends on the observer's longitude. The same eclipse is a pre-dawn moonset eclipse in Europe and a midnight eclipse high in the sky over the central Pacific.

The partner solar eclipse is the partial eclipse of 23 September 2033 (southern hemisphere) two weeks earlier, and the previous member of the same Saros series was the "supermoon eclipse" of 28 September 2015, when the Moon was near perigee and looked large.

This simulator computes the Moon's position with an abridged ELP series after Meeus (about 10 arcseconds); atmospheric refraction near the horizon is only approximated in the sky view, so the actual moonrise may differ by a minute or two with terrain and refraction.

The eclipse of 8 October 2033 belongs to Saros 137; the previous member was the “supermoon eclipse” of 28 September 2015, and the next is 19 October 2051. In 2015 the Moon was within a day of perigee and looked 14 percent larger than average, and in 2033 it again passes near perigee under similar conditions. A large Moon on the horizon combined with the Moon illusion should make an unusually big red Moon to the eye.

FAQ

Is the eclipse already under way at moonrise?

Yes — from Seoul the Moon rises in the east already in eclipse, and the farther east, the further along it is.

Where is best to watch?

Anywhere with an open eastern horizon — good for framing with a skyline or ridge.

Can it be photographed with a phone?

Yes — a tripod and night mode are enough for the red Moon over the horizon.

How does it differ from the 2032 eclipse?

In 2032 the Moon is high before the eclipse begins; in 2033 it rises already in eclipse.

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Times and figures are approximate — verify with official sources when planning travel. Simulation uses J2000 mean elements.