The Eclipse App<\/a>.<\/p>\nThe Moon moves right to left, passing through the penumbra and umbra, leaving in its wake an eclipse diagram.<\/p>\n
NASA’s Scientific Visualization StudioPhases Of A Total Lunar Eclipse<\/p>\n
A total lunar eclipse occurs when Earth moves directly between the sun and a full moon. It has five phases, only the central phase \u2014 totality \u2014 featuring a \u201cblood moon.\u201d <\/p>\n
Penumbral eclipse: as the moon passes through Earth\u2019s shadow, it first enters Earth\u2019s faint outer shadow (the penumbra).Partial eclipse: it then moves into the umbra, the darker central shadow. The outline of Earth\u2019s shadow can be seen moving across the lunar surface, gradually darkening and reddening it. Totality: the entire lunar surface sits within the umbra and turns reddish-orange. Only at the moment of totality will the moon become a brighter, reddish color. <\/p>\n
The last two phases are repetitions of the first two, with a partial eclipse followed by a penumbral eclipse. <\/p>\n
When To See Earth\u2019s Shadow Move Across The Moon<\/p>\n
Observers who want to see more than just the deep red \u201cblood moon\u201d should also watch the partial lunar eclipse phases, when Earth\u2019s sharply defined shadow visibly encroaches on the moon\u2019s disk. These phases bracket totality and reveal the curvature of Earth\u2019s shadow in space \u2014 a subtler but scientifically rewarding sight. Since the moon will be very low in the sky for many viewers after totality, the partial phase before totality is the one to watch. <\/p>\n
Across the U.S., the first partial eclipse begins about 1 hour and 15 minutes before totality (and ends about 1 hour and 15 minutes after totality):<\/p>\n
Eastern Time (EST): approximately 4:49-6:04 a.m. EST (second partial phase not visible)Central Time (CST): approximately 3:49-5:04 a.m. CST (second partial phase not visible)Mountain Time (MST): approximately 2:49-4:04 and 5:02-6:17 a.m. MSTPacific Time (PST): approximately 1:49-3:04 and 4:02-5:17 a.m. PSTAlaska Time (AKST): approximately 12:49-2:04 and 3:02-4:17 a.m. AKST (March 2\u20133)Hawaii Standard Time (HST): approximately 11:49 p.m.\u20131:04 a.m. and 2:02-3:17 a.m. HST (March 2\u20133)<\/p>\n
During these times, the moon will appear progressively darkened on one side as it enters Earth\u2019s umbra, with the process reversed after totality. Binoculars or a small telescope enhance the effect, but it\u2019s easily visible to the naked eye under clear skies.<\/p>\n
An animated map showing where the March 3, 2026 lunar eclipse is visible. Contours mark the edge of the visibility region at eclipse contact times.<\/p>\n
NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio\u2018Blood Moon\u2019 Times Around The World<\/p>\n
Across Australia, New Zealand and East Asia, the eclipse will occur in the evening of March 3 (or just after midnight on March 4 in New Zealand). For many, it will unfold high in a dark sky \u2014 ideal viewing conditions. Here are the local times for totality:<\/p>\n
Auckland, New Zealand (NZDT): 12:04-1:02 a.m., Wednesday, March 4Sydney, Australia (AEDT): 10:04-11:02 p.m., Tuesday, March 3Brisbane, Australia (AEST): 9:04-10:02 p.m., Tuesday, March 3Adelaide, Australia (ACDT): 9:34-10:32 p.m., Tuesday, March 3Darwin, Australia: 8:34-9:32 p.m., Tuesday, March 3Perth, Australia: 7:04-8:02 p.m., Tuesday, March 3Tokyo, Japan (JST): 8:04-9:02 p.m., Tuesday, March 3Seoul, South Korea (KST): 8:04-9:02 p.m., Tuesday, March 3Beijing, China (CST): 7:04-8:02 p.m., Tuesday, March 3Hong Kong (HKT): 7:04-8:02 p.m., Tuesday, March 3<\/p>\n
In parts of Southeast Asia, totality will begin before moonrise, muting the dramatic color contrast.<\/p>\n
If Earth had no atmosphere, the Moon would look completely black during a total lunar eclipse. However, a little of the Sun’s red light refracts through the atmosphere and into Earth’s umbra, coloring the lunar disk during totality. (Not shown to scale.)<\/p>\n
Sky & Telescope illustrationIs It Safe To Watch a \u2018Blood Moon\u2019 Total Lunar Eclipse?<\/p>\n
It\u2019s completely safe to watch all stages any lunar eclipse with the naked eye. Unlike a solar eclipse, which requires certified eye protection, a lunar eclipse is simply reflected sunlight fading and reddening. You can watch it with the naked eye, binoculars or a telescope, with no filters required. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis reddish light comes from all the sunrises and sunsets around Earth\u2019s rim at that moment \u2014 sunlight that has skimmed through Earth\u2019s atmosphere and been refracted, or bent, by the atmosphere into the umbra,\u201d said<\/a> Meg Thacher, Associate Editor at Sky & Telescope.<\/p>\nBackground<\/p>\n
The worm moon is one of 13 full moons in 2026, a year that includes an extra full moon because the lunar year is about 11 days shorter than the solar year. Of those, three will be supermoons \u2014 on Jan. 3, Nov. 24 and Dec. 24 \u2014 when the full moon occurs close to perigee.<\/p>\n
2026 will also feature two lunar eclipses. The March 2-3 event is the only total lunar eclipse of the year, while the second, on Aug. 27-28, will be a very deep partial lunar eclipse as 96% of the full moon moves through Earth\u2019s umbra. Just two weeks before the worm moon, a \u201cring of fire\u201d annular solar eclipse on Feb. 17 marked the start of an unusually active eclipse season.<\/p>\n
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The last “blood moon” total lunar eclipse, pictured in Shanghai on September 8, 2025. (Photo by HECTOR RETAMAL\/AFP…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":450510,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[428,44255,125,163101,163097,163098,4051,90,416,163099,5134,56,54,55,163100],"class_list":{"0":"post-450509","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-space","8":"tag-australia","9":"tag-blood-moon","10":"tag-earth","11":"tag-eclipse-times-u-s","12":"tag-full-moon-march-2026","13":"tag-march-2026-blood-moon","14":"tag-north-america","15":"tag-science","16":"tag-space","17":"tag-total-lunar-eclipse-march-3-2026","18":"tag-u-s","19":"tag-uk","20":"tag-united-kingdom","21":"tag-unitedkingdom","22":"tag-worm-moon-2026"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/450509","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=450509"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/450509\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/450510"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=450509"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=450509"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=450509"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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