Cairo: A partial lunar eclipse began in Egypt early on Friday, August 28, 2026, coinciding with the full moon of Rabi' al-Awwal 1448 AH and marking the second and final lunar eclipse of 2026. Head of the Solar Department and Space Research Laboratory at the National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics (NRIAG) Mohamed Somayeda said the eclipse began in Egypt with the penumbral phase at 4:24 a.m. (Cairo time).According to State Information Service Egypt, this phase is not visible to the naked eye, while the partial eclipse began at 5:34 a.m. The Moon reached the maximum phase observable from Cairo at 6:29 a.m., coinciding with sunrise, Somayeda said. The arrival of daylight brought an end to the period during which the eclipse could be observed from the capital, although the phenomenon continued in other parts of the world.The partial eclipse continued globally until 8:52 a.m. (Cairo time), while all phases of the eclipse ended at 10:02 a.m. However, the later stages were not visible from Egypt a fter sunrise. Somayeda said Earth's shadow covered about 93 percent of the Moon's surface during the eclipse. The entire phenomenon lasted approximately five hours and 38 minutes, while the partial phase lasted around three hours and 18 minutes.The eclipse was visible from areas where the Moon was above the horizon during the event, including North and South America and parts of Europe and Africa. Differences in sunrise and sunset times meant that the visibility and duration of the various eclipse phases varied from one location to another.The August 28 eclipse was the second and final lunar eclipse of 2026, following the total lunar eclipse that occurred on March 3. A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon is full and Earth moves between the Sun and the Moon, causing the Moon to pass through Earth's shadow. Unlike a solar eclipse, a lunar eclipse can be viewed safely with the naked eye without special eye protection.