Lunar Eclipse Simulator

March 3, 2026 – Sunshine Coast, Australia

The interactive simulator below shows the moment of C2 in Mooloolaba, Queensland, on Australia’s Sunshine Coast. It initially loads to the moment of U2 – the start of totality. Try adjusting the time slider or starting the automatic playback to watch an animated simulation of the eclipse as observed from this location:

You can view the location and time in the TPE Web App using this link.

Eclipse Photo Planning

Any photographer with the slightest interest in the night sky or the Moon will not want to miss an opportunity to capture a lunar eclipse. You can boost your chances of a successful shoot by doing some advance planning:

Where will the Moon be in the sky during the eclipse? Can I shoot it against the horizon or juxtapose it against a landmark?
How will it move from before the start of the partial eclipse until the end of the event?
What will the sky brightness be during the event?
How will my exposure need to change?
When should I acquire focus on the Moon?

Get answers to all these questions and more from the TPE Web App’s lunar eclipse simulation.

Features

Eclipse simulation is just one feature of TPE Web’s Moon Simulator. In addition to all the standard features of the Moon Simulator, lunar eclipse-specific features you can access in the Web App include:

Earth-shadow visualization for the penumbral, partial, and total phases
Visualization of Earth’s penumbral and umbral shadow cones
Lunar eclipse contact time buttons (P1, U1, U2, Max, U3, U4, P4)
Instantaneous estimated eclipse magnitude (both penumbral and umbral)
Animated eclipse playback at user-selectable speed

Availability

The Moon Simulator is available in the TPE Web App with date-based access restrictions depending on your subscription tier:

Free: 24-hour lookahead
Supporter: 5-day lookahead
PRO: unrestricted