Mental Floss

Don’t Miss the “Blood Moon” Total Lunar Eclipse Coming in March

The total lunar eclipse on March 13–14 will cause a “blood moon” visible from coast to coast.
ByCaLea Johnson|
You likely have a chance to see the total lunar eclipse in March!
You likely have a chance to see the total lunar eclipse in March! | Carlos Manchego / 500px/GettyImages

March is known for heralding the start of spring. This year, the month also kicks off eclipse season. Stargazers in North America will be able to catch a total lunar eclipse in mid-March, while a partial solar eclipse on March 29 will be visible to those in northeastern North America and parts of Europe and northwest Africa.

The upcoming total lunar eclipse will occur at night from March 13 to the morning of March 14. This type of eclipse happens when the Earth is perfectly aligned between the moon and the sun, which causes our planet to cast a shadow completely over the moon. Eclipses usually last a few hours, but totality typically lasts 30 minutes to over an hour.

The March 2025 total lunar eclipse will be visible across America. The moon will enter the Earth’s umbra, the area of space within Earth’s shadow, at 1:09 a.m. EST, starting a partial eclipse. At 2:26 a.m., you’ll notice the red glow of the moon when the umbra completely covers it. The moon is expected to leave the umbra by 3:31 a.m. NASA posted a diagram of when different phases will appear in different time zones on its website.

What Is a Blood Moon?

This eclipse means you’ll get to see a “blood moon,” a colloquial name for the red-tinted moon that occurs during a total lunar eclipse. According to NASA, the reddish color is the result of a few rays of sunlight shining through Earth’s atmosphere. Shorter blue and violet wavelengths of light are scattered in the atmosphere, but longer red wavelengths make it through to touch the moon’s surface, making it appear red.

Total lunar eclipses aren’t a particularly rare occurrence—as the Washington Post reports, people in a given place will experience one roughly every 2.5 years. The last total solar eclipse happened almost three years ago, and the next one (after March 2025) is set for early March 2026. 

Unlike a solar eclipse, you don’t need any protective gear to view a lunar eclipse safely because you’re staring at the moon, not the sun. You may want to bring binoculars or a telescope for a better view, though.

Read More About Space:

Home/LOOK UP!