Lunar Eclipse over Rugby Final

October’s partial lunar eclipse will start at 20:01 (8:01 pm) Central European Time (CET) in Paris and reach maximum at 22:14 (10:14 pm), some 1 hour and 14 minutes after the opening whistle of the 2023 Rugby World Cup final.

All you need to know about the October 28 eclipse

We will stream this eclipse LIVE

Counting the start and end of the penumbral eclipse (which takes place when the Moon moves through the outer part of Earth’s shadow), this event will last 4 hours and 25 minutes. If there is good visibility, fans in their seats may notice a small portion of the Moon getting darker as the eclipse reaches its height and ends at 22:52 (10:52 pm), with the penumbral phase finishing at 00:26 (12:26 am) the next morning.

The October 28 event is a partial eclipse worldwide, since there are no locations on the planet where the Moon will appear to be completely covered.

Astronomy Calendar

Eclipses and Sports History

This Rugby final won’t be the first major sporting event to coincide with an eclipse. Astronomical events have often darkened the skies over competitions in the past, and venues around the world are planning events to celebrate the occurrences in the future.

For example, in 2024 the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indiana, USA will convert itself from a high-speed racetrack to arguably the world’s largest viewing site for a total solar eclipse. The venue will collaborate with experts from NASA to broadcast the April 8 event.

There are plenty of examples in history, but here are three major sporting events that took place during eclipses:

2017 - Little League Baseball World Series

The 2017 total solar eclipse was visible across a broad swath of the USA. Some sports had to adjust schedules for changes of visibility and the safety of the players. But many venues also saw the phenomenon as a chance to hold educational and promotional events. For example, at the Little League World Series in Pennsylvania, 30,000 pairs of safe viewing glasses were handed out to young athletes and the public. Officials also turned on the lights to allow play to continue as the eclipse began at around 13:14 (1:14 pm) Eastern Standard Time (EST) with the point of greatest darkness at around 14:38 (2:38 pm), and ending at 15:56 (3:56 pm).

2013 - Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix

This road race experienced a partial solar eclipse from 17:22 (5:22 pm) to 17:39 (5:39 pm) Gulf Standard Time on race day, which was highlighted on the television broadcast of the competition. The track was well-equipped to handle the changing light conditions, as this circuit is traditionally run in the twilight hours, although crews had to deal with a slight dip in temperature on the tarmac related to the eclipse.

1980 - India vs England Cricket Match

A full solar eclipse caused the scheduling of an unusual rest day during an international test between India and England in 1980, held at Wakhende Stadium in Mumbai. The February 16 event caused the game's governing authorities to reschedule out of fear that some of the 50,000 spectators might damage their eyes by looking directly at the Sun.