A rare total lunar eclipse is set to mesmerise millions of sky-watchers on March 3 (Tuesday) as the Moon will be transformed into a coppery red “blood moon”.
A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth passes directly between the Sun and the Moon, casting its full shadow over the lunar surface. During totality, the Moon doesn’t go black, but instead it turns a deep reddish-orange colour, referred to as a “Blood Moon”.
It happens because the Earth’s atmosphere bends and filters sunlight onto it, allowing only red light to reach the Moon.
Viewing The Lunar Eclipse
The total lunar eclipse will be visible from eastern Asia, Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific region, and parts of North and South America.
Totality will last 58 minutes, from 6:04 am EST (1104 GMT and 4:34 pm IST) to 7:02 am EST (1202 GMT and 5:32 pm IST).
Below, everything you need to know about when and where to catch the show—the last total lunar eclipse until New Year’s Eve 2028.
What is a total lunar eclipse?
A lunar eclipse occurs when the sun, Earth, and moon align just right, with our planet positioned squarely between the sun and the full moon. As the moon moves through Earth’s shadow, sunlight filtering through our atmosphere bathes it in shades of red and orange, turning the moon blood red.
Lunar eclipses unfold in stages. First, the moon enters the faint outer shadow of the Earth, or the penumbra, where dimming is subtle; this is the penumbral eclipse. As it moves deeper into the full shadow, or umbra, a partial eclipse begins, with a curved shadow slowly swallowing the lunar disk. The full eclipse, or totality, begins when the moon moves completely into the umbra, turning its usually white surface a dim reddish-orange.
For nearly an hour, the full moon will slip into Earth’s shadow and glow a rusty hue or what’s referred to as a ‘blood moon’.
When and where can I see the eclipse?
Unlike with total solar eclipses, which are only visible along a small path, total lunar eclipses are visible anywhere the moon is visible. This week’s total lunar eclipse can be seen across the Americas, the Pacific, Australia, and Asia. You won’t need any special gear like eclipse glasses—it’s safe to look at a lunar eclipse with the naked eye, and the use of binoculars or a telescope is fine, too.
The entire eclipse will last 5 hours, 39 minutes, while totality will last 58 minutes.
For most viewers in the Americas, the eclipse will begin after midnight on March 3; in western locations like Hawaii, it’ll begin late at night on March 2. On the other side of the Pacific, the eclipse will start in the evening on March 3, and in some cases (such as in New Zealand), run into the early hours of March 4.
Here’s the exact timing of the eclipse in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). To find out the timing in your location, use a time zone converter.
What is a selenelion?
Here’s where this total lunar eclipse gets especially interesting. For viewers along the East Coast of the United States, totality will overlap with sunrise. That means the eclipsed moon will be setting in the western sky while the sun rises in the east.
This phenomenon is known as a selenelion, when both the sun and a totally eclipsed moon are visible simultaneously. Physically, this shouldn’t be possible, since the sun and moon must be 180 degrees apart during a total lunar eclipse. But selenelion is an optical effect in which Earth’s atmosphere bends light slightly over the horizon—this is called atmospheric refraction, which slightly lifts both objects above the horizon from our perspective.
To see selenelion, you’ll need to go up as high as you can with an unobstructed view of the sky. It’ll also need to be somewhere with clear views of both the east and west horizons.
When is the next total lunar eclipse?
If you miss this one, the next total lunar eclipse visible from North America won’t arrive until New Year’s Eve in 2028. There will, however, be a partial lunar eclipse on August 27–28, 2026. And don’t forget about the total solar eclipse on August 12, 2026. (NDTV/ Condé Nast Traveller)
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