Solar & Lunar Eclipses Visible from Beijing
Every eclipse in the 2024–2040 catalog that reaches Beijing (39.9042°, 116.4074°), with contact times on the Asia/Shanghai clock.
Checking the catalog against today's date…
Open the calculator at Beijing's coordinates25 of the 39 in the catalog are above the horizon here, 11 of them total. Times are Asia/Shanghai, converted per eclipse.
Beijing's best-placed eclipse in the window is the total lunar eclipse of January 1, 2029, greatest at 12:51 AM GMT+8. The moon is fully inside Earth's shadow for 1h 11m, and the whole eclipse happens with the moon up — 72° above the horizon at greatest eclipse.
| Date | From Beijing | Local times | Moon |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday, September 8, 2025 Total lunar eclipse | Total The whole eclipse is above Beijing's horizon, from first contact to last. | 2:11 AM GMT+8 greatest eclipse Totality 1:30 AM – 2:52 AM | 37° up at greatest 1h 22m total |
| Tuesday, March 3, 2026 Total lunar eclipse | Total The eclipse begins below the horizon — the moon rises over Beijing at about 6:03 PM, already in the partial phase. Everything before that happens while the moon is down. | 7:33 PM GMT+8 greatest eclipse Totality 7:04 PM – 8:02 PM | 17° up at greatest 58m total |
| Sunday, February 21, 2027 Penumbral lunar eclipse | Penumbral The eclipse is still under way at moonset — the moon sets at about 7:04 AM, during the penumbral shading. The rest of it happens below Beijing's horizon. | 7:12 AM GMT+8 greatest eclipse | below the horizon at greatest |
| Monday, July 19, 2027 Penumbral lunar eclipse | Penumbral The whole eclipse is above Beijing's horizon, from first contact to last. | 12:02 AM GMT+8 greatest eclipse | 29° up at greatest |
| Friday, July 7, 2028 Partial lunar eclipse | Partial The whole eclipse is above Beijing's horizon, from first contact to last. | 2:19 AM GMT+8 greatest eclipse Umbral 1:08 AM – 3:30 AM | 22° up at greatest |
| Monday, January 1, 2029 Total lunar eclipse | Total The whole eclipse is above Beijing's horizon, from first contact to last. | 12:51 AM GMT+8 greatest eclipse Totality 12:16 AM – 1:27 AM | 72° up at greatest 1h 11m total |
| Friday, December 21, 2029 Total lunar eclipse | Total The eclipse is still under way at moonset — the moon sets at about 7:37 AM, during the partial phase. The rest of it happens below Beijing's horizon. | 6:41 AM GMT+8 greatest eclipse Totality 6:15 AM – 7:08 AM | 9° up at greatest 54m total |
| Sunday, June 16, 2030 Partial lunar eclipse | Partial The eclipse is still under way at moonset — the moon sets at about 4:50 AM, during the penumbral shading. The rest of it happens below Beijing's horizon. | 2:33 AM GMT+8 greatest eclipse Umbral 1:21 AM – 3:45 AM | 19° up at greatest |
| Tuesday, December 10, 2030 Penumbral lunar eclipse | Penumbral The eclipse is still under way at moonset — the moon sets at about 7:29 AM, during the penumbral shading. The rest of it happens below Beijing's horizon. | 6:27 AM GMT+8 greatest eclipse | 11° up at greatest |
| Thursday, June 5, 2031 Penumbral lunar eclipse | Penumbral The eclipse begins below the horizon — the moon rises over Beijing at about 7:34 PM, already in the penumbral shading. Everything before that happens while the moon is down. | 7:43 PM GMT+8 greatest eclipse | 2° up at greatest |
| Thursday, October 30, 2031 Penumbral lunar eclipse | Penumbral The eclipse begins below the horizon — the moon rises over Beijing at about 5:10 PM, already in the penumbral shading. Everything before that happens while the moon is down. | 3:45 PM GMT+8 greatest eclipse | below the horizon at greatest |
| Sunday, April 25, 2032 Total lunar eclipse | Total The whole eclipse is above Beijing's horizon, from first contact to last. | 11:13 PM GMT+8 greatest eclipse Totality 10:40 PM – 11:46 PM | 35° up at greatest 1h 6m total |
| Tuesday, October 19, 2032 Total lunar eclipse | Total The whole eclipse is above Beijing's horizon, from first contact to last. | 3:02 AM GMT+8 greatest eclipse Totality 2:38 AM – 3:25 AM | 40° up at greatest 47m total |
| Friday, April 15, 2033 Total lunar eclipse | Total The eclipse is still under way at moonset — the moon sets at about 5:41 AM, during the penumbral shading. The rest of it happens below Beijing's horizon. | 3:12 AM GMT+8 greatest eclipse Totality 2:47 AM – 3:37 AM | 26° up at greatest 49m total |
| Saturday, October 8, 2033 Total lunar eclipse | Total The eclipse begins below the horizon — the moon rises over Beijing at about 5:41 PM, already in the partial phase. Everything before that happens while the moon is down. | 6:55 PM GMT+8 greatest eclipse Totality 6:15 PM – 7:34 PM | 14° up at greatest 1h 19m total |
| Tuesday, April 4, 2034 Penumbral lunar eclipse | Penumbral The whole eclipse is above Beijing's horizon, from first contact to last. | 3:05 AM GMT+8 greatest eclipse | 30° up at greatest |
| Thursday, February 22, 2035 Penumbral lunar eclipse | Penumbral The eclipse begins below the horizon — the moon rises over Beijing at about 5:53 PM, already in the penumbral shading. Everything before that happens while the moon is down. | 5:04 PM GMT+8 greatest eclipse | below the horizon at greatest |
| Tuesday, February 12, 2036 Total lunar eclipse | Total The eclipse is still under way at moonset — the moon sets at about 7:16 AM, during the partial phase. The rest of it happens below Beijing's horizon. | 6:11 AM GMT+8 greatest eclipse Totality 5:34 AM – 6:48 AM | 12° up at greatest 1h 15m total |
| Saturday, January 31, 2037 Total lunar eclipse | Total The whole eclipse is above Beijing's horizon, from first contact to last. | 10:00 PM GMT+8 greatest eclipse Totality 9:28 PM – 10:32 PM | 51° up at greatest 1h 4m total |
| Friday, July 16, 2038 Penumbral lunar eclipse | Penumbral The eclipse begins below the horizon — the moon rises over Beijing at about 7:36 PM, already in the penumbral shading. Everything before that happens while the moon is down. | 7:34 PM GMT+8 greatest eclipse | below the horizon at greatest |
| Sunday, December 12, 2038 Penumbral lunar eclipse | Penumbral The whole eclipse is above Beijing's horizon, from first contact to last. | 1:43 AM GMT+8 greatest eclipse | 64° up at greatest |
| Tuesday, June 7, 2039 Partial lunar eclipse | Partial The eclipse is still under way at moonset — the moon sets at about 4:51 AM, during the penumbral shading. The rest of it happens below Beijing's horizon. | 2:53 AM GMT+8 greatest eclipse Umbral 1:23 AM – 4:22 AM | 17° up at greatest |
| Thursday, December 1, 2039 Partial lunar eclipse | Partial The whole eclipse is above Beijing's horizon, from first contact to last. | 12:55 AM GMT+8 greatest eclipse Umbral 11:12 PM – 2:38 AM | 69° up at greatest |
| Saturday, May 26, 2040 Total lunar eclipse | Partial The eclipse begins below the horizon — the moon rises over Beijing at about 7:27 PM, already in totality. Everything before that happens while the moon is down. | 7:44 PM GMT+8 greatest eclipse Totality 6:58 PM – 8:31 PM | 3° up at greatest 1h 32m total |
| Monday, November 19, 2040 Total lunar eclipse | Total The whole eclipse is above Beijing's horizon, from first contact to last. | 3:03 AM GMT+8 greatest eclipse Totality 2:19 AM – 3:47 AM | 46° up at greatest 1h 28m total |
Reading the table. Greatest eclipse is one instant worldwide, printed on Beijing's clock — the zone abbreviation is resolved for that date, so it changes across the window wherever the clocks do. From Beijing is what the horizon leaves: a total eclipse the moon sets during is a partial one here, and the note beside it says which phase was under way. Durations are the eclipse's own, worldwide.
3 of the 38 in the catalog happen with the sun up here. Times are Asia/Shanghai, converted per eclipse.
Yes — 3 of the 38 solar eclipses catalogued between 2024 and 2040 are visible from Beijing, at least in part: June 1, 2030, November 3, 2032, September 2, 2035. Beijing is inside the path of totality on September 2, 2035, for 1m 33s.
| Date | From Beijing | Local times | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, June 1, 2030 Annular solar eclipse | Partial The whole eclipse happens with the sun up, from first contact at 2:15 PM to last at 5:03 PM. | 3:45 PM GMT+8 greatest eclipse here | 58% of the sun covered 42° up |
| Wednesday, November 3, 2032 Partial solar eclipse | Partial The whole eclipse happens with the sun up, from first contact at 12:25 PM to last at 3:20 PM. | 1:56 PM GMT+8 greatest eclipse here | 51% of the sun covered 28° up |
| Sunday, September 2, 2035 Total solar eclipse | Total The whole eclipse happens with the sun up, from first contact at 7:24 AM to last at 9:50 AM. | 8:33 AM GMT+8 greatest eclipse here Totality 8:32 AM – 8:34 AM | 100% of the sun covered 1m 33s total 32° up |
"Covered" is the share of the sun's area the moon hides at the deepest moment seen from Beijing. A solar eclipse is only safe to look at through ISO 12312-2 filters, except during the totality of a total eclipse.
Eclipse dates and contact times come from the NASA/Espenak catalog, and everything local to Beijing — whether the moon or sun is above the horizon, how high it stands, what the horizon cuts off — is computed for 39.9042°, 116.4074° and converted to Asia/Shanghai. Nothing on this page is stamped with a build date: an eclipse is a catalogued instant, so where the shadow fell and how high the moon stood over Beijing are as fixed for 2024 as for 2040. Only the "next eclipse" panel at the top reads the clock, and it does so in your browser.
What the horizon decides. A lunar eclipse is visible from wherever the moon is up, which is half the planet — but an eclipse runs for hours and can straddle moonrise or moonset, and then only part of it is Beijing's. That is why each row carries the moon's altitude at greatest eclipse and, where it matters, which phase was under way as the moon crossed the horizon. An eclipse 70° up is overhead and unmistakable; the same eclipse a few degrees up is behind whatever Beijing has on its skyline.
How the solar rows are worked out. Each comes from NASA's Besselian elements for that eclipse, evaluated at Beijing's coordinates at sea level: when the moon's disc first touches the sun's and when it leaves, how much of the sun it covers, and — inside a path — how long totality or annularity lasts. "Covered" is the share of the sun's area, which is what decides how dark it gets; it agrees with the US Naval Observatory's own figures to within a fifth of a percentage point, and the times to within five seconds. Near the edge of a path, the last kilometre or so depends on the mountains along the moon's limb, which these figures leave out.
Safe viewing. A lunar eclipse is safe to watch with the naked eye, binoculars, or a telescope — it is only the full moon, dimmed. A solar eclipse is not: outside the brief totality of a total eclipse, looking at the sun needs ISO 12312-2 filters, and sunglasses are not filters — not even at 99% covered, when the sliver left is still bright enough to burn.
When is the next lunar eclipse visible from Beijing?
The panel at the top of this page names it, counting from today in your browser. The table below is the full record instead: all 25 lunar eclipses between 2024 and 2040 that are above Beijing's horizon, with contact times already converted to Asia/Shanghai. 11 of them are total from here.
Will a solar eclipse be visible from Beijing?
Yes — 3 of the 38 solar eclipses catalogued between 2024 and 2040 are visible from Beijing, at least in part: June 1, 2030, November 3, 2032, September 2, 2035. Beijing is inside the path of totality on September 2, 2035, for 1m 33s.
What time does the eclipse start in Beijing?
Every time on this page is Beijing local time, converted per eclipse rather than once for the page — the window spans 16 years, so the same zone reads differently in January and July and the abbreviation beside each row says which applies. A lunar eclipse begins with the faint penumbral shading (P1), bites into the disc at first umbral contact (U1) and, if it is total, goes fully dark at U2. A solar eclipse begins when the moon's disc first touches the sun's and, inside a path, turns total or annular at second contact; the solar table gives both, cut at sunrise or sunset where the horizon gets there first.
Why does Beijing see more lunar eclipses than solar ones?
Earth's shadow at the moon's distance is far larger than the moon's shadow on Earth, and a lunar eclipse is visible from the entire night side of the planet at once — so Beijing catches 25 of the 39 lunar eclipses in the window, and only 3 of the 38 solar ones. A solar eclipse throws a shadow a few thousand kilometres across at most, and its darkest part a few hundred; miss that footprint by an hour of Earth's rotation and there is nothing to see from Beijing at all.