A Copper-Colored Moon? Lunar Eclipse Arrives Tonight

Kristina Hemel
12 hours ago
3 min read

Skywatchers across northwest Kansas and the surrounding area have a reason to stay up a little later Thursday night. A deep partial lunar eclipse will take place overnight August 27 into August 28, and our part of the country is in a great location to see it.

And this one should be impressive.

According to NASA, the Moon will pass deep into Earth’s shadow, with more than 96% of the lunar disk inside the darkest portion of Earth’s shadow at the peak of the eclipse. That means it will come very close to being a total lunar eclipse.

When Can We See It?

For those in the NWKS Radio listening area on Central Time, including Colby, Oakley, Hoxie, Atwood and much of northwest Kansas:

8:24 p.m. CDT: Penumbral eclipse begins. The change will be subtle at first.
9:34 p.m. CDT: Partial eclipse begins. This is when you'll really start noticing Earth’s shadow moving across the Moon.
11:13 p.m. CDT: Maximum eclipse. This is the BIG moment!
12:52 a.m. CDT Friday: Partial eclipse ends.
2:02 a.m. CDT: The eclipse is completely over.

For listeners on Mountain Time, including Goodland, Burlington and areas farther west, simply move those times back one hour:

7:24 p.m. MDT: Penumbral eclipse begins
8:34 p.m. MDT: Partial eclipse begins
10:13 p.m. MDT: Maximum eclipse
11:52 p.m. MDT: Partial eclipse ends
1:02 a.m. MDT Friday: Eclipse completely ends

NASA lists the worldwide maximum at approximately 4:13 a.m. UTC, which converts to 11:13 p.m. Central and 10:13 p.m. Mountain Thursday night.

What Will It Look Like?

This is technically a partial lunar eclipse, but "partial" doesn't quite do this one justice.

At its deepest point, about 96% of the Moon's disk will be inside Earth's dark central shadow, leaving only a very small portion brightly illuminated.

As Earth’s shadow moves across the Moon, the covered portion could take on a rusty, reddish or copper color. NASA notes that the effect should become increasingly dramatic as the eclipse approaches its maximum.

In other words, if you only want to step outside once, shoot for roughly 11:00 to 11:30 p.m. Central or 10:00 to 10:30 p.m. Mountain.

Where Do You Look?

The easy answer: find the Moon!

Early in the evening it will be toward the eastern to southeastern sky. As the night continues, it will climb higher and move farther south across the sky.

You don't need to drive anywhere special to see it. Your backyard, driveway, farm, pasture or anywhere with a reasonably clear view of the sky will work. Getting away from bright lights may make the colors and details easier to appreciate, but unlike a meteor shower, you don't need a completely dark location.

Do You Need Eclipse Glasses?

No!

This is a lunar eclipse, not a solar eclipse. It is completely safe to look directly at the Moon throughout the entire event. No special glasses or filters are needed.

Your eyes will work just fine, although binoculars or a small telescope could provide an even better look at Earth’s curved shadow crossing the lunar surface.

Will Northwest Kansas Weather Cooperate?

That may be the biggest question.

The National Weather Service forecast for Colby calls for mostly clear skies tonight, although there is a 20% chance for showers and thunderstorms between approximately 11 p.m. and 3 a.m. Goodland's forecast calls for mostly clear skies Thursday night.

However, the National Weather Service in Goodland says scattered thunderstorms could move south into portions of northwest Kansas this evening and overnight, with the greatest severe weather concern mainly north of Interstate 70 between 8 p.m. and 1 a.m. Central.

So Mother Nature could make things interesting, but if the clouds cooperate, northwest Kansas should have a front-row seat to one of the best sky shows of 2026.

Set an alarm, step outside and look up. The Moon is putting on a show tonight!