Nearly full eclipse greets North Okanagan as Moon rises

Image exposed to show the portion of the Moon in Earths shadow

August 27 2026 VERNON - A deep partial lunar eclipse put on a brief show over the North Okanagan Thursday night after wildfire smoke and cloud broke in patches just long enough for people to see it.

The Moon came up in the east-southeast already deep in Earth’s shadow.

By the time it cleared the horizon, the eclipse was close to maximum, about 93 to 96 per cent of the disk darkened, with only a thin bright sliver still in sunlight.

The shadowed face took on the familiar copper-red of a near “blood moon.” Peak coverage for the region was around 9:12 p.m. The partial phase faded around 10:50 p.m., and the last faint shading was gone near midnight.

Image exposed to show the portion of the Moon in sunlight

Viewing was uneven. Smoke from the summer’s fires and leftover cloud covered parts of the valley, but breaks around Vernon, Armstrong and Spallumcheen were enough for backyard watchers to catch the rise.

It was the most dramatic lunar eclipse visible here until late 2028.

Nearly full eclipse greets North Okanagan as Moon rises