The moon underwent a partial lunar eclipse on October 28, 2023, creating a captivating celestial display for stargazers in the Eastern Hemisphere just before Halloween. This particular eclipse, known as the Full Hunter’s Moon eclipse, was the final lunar eclipse of the year and one of four eclipses in 2023, two of the moon and two of the sun. As the moon passed through Earth’s shadow, a portion of it vanished into darkness, offering a spooky sight.
This lunar eclipse was visible from countries across Europe, Asia, Africa, parts of Australia, and select states in the U.S., such as New York, Alaska, and North Carolina. For those unable to witness the event in person, multiple live webcasts, including footage from TimeandDate.com and the Virtual Telescope Project in Ceccano, Italy, provided online views.
Telescopes located in Bergen, Norway; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; and Perth, Australia, captured stunning video of the entire lunar eclipse, including a remarkable moment near the end when the fading lunar eclipse coincided with the appearance of the bright planet Jupiter.
In Dubai, around 200 spectators gathered at the Al Thuraya Astronomy center in Mushrif Park to experience the lunar eclipse alongside the Dubai Astronomy Group. Khadijah Ahmad, operations manager of the group, expressed excitement during the livestream and described the joy of observing the moon with a crowd of people fully engaged in the experience.
Despite cloudy weather in London, England, one skywatcher managed to witness the climax of the eclipse at 9:14 pm and shared their elation on social media. Similarly, an observer in Delhi, India, marveled at the sight of the partially covered moon, describing it as a unique experience.
Photographer Lorenzo Di Cola of NurPhoto and Getty Images captured a different perspective of the lunar eclipse from L’Aquila, Italy, showcasing the Earth’s shadow on the moon. This eclipse lasted approximately 4.5 hours, starting at 2:01 p.m. EDT and ending at 6:26 p.m. EDT, and it was classified as a partial eclipse since the moon only entered the Earth’s darkest shadow, known as the umbra, partially.
Although the lunar eclipse marked the final eclipse of 2023, skywatchers can anticipate the next lunar eclipse on March 24, 2024, which will be less significant as the moon passes through the outer shadow of the Earth, known as the penumbra. This will serve as a preview for an extraordinary total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, visible from Mexico, the United States, and Canada.
If you’re planning to observe the Full Hunter’s Moon or engage in night sky photography, explore our guides for the best telescopes, binoculars, cameras, and lenses. We encourage readers to share their photographs of the Hunter’s Moon with Space.com’s audience by submitting them via email to [email protected].
