Blood moon: How to see the total lunar eclipse in California on Tuesday
The skies will be clear but there is the potential for some Valley fog which could make it more difficult to see.
EVER WIN THE FIRST THREE RACES OF THE SEASON. CONGRATS TO HIM. WELL, MARCH IS KICKING OFF WITH A TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE. IT’S THE LAST ONE UNTIL EARTH RINGS IN 2029. UNLIKE SOLAR ECLIPSES, YOU CAN FULLY ENJOY LUNAR ECLIPSES, AND YOU MAY NOTICE THE MOON SLOWLY LOSE ITS WHITE GLOW AND TURN A RUSTY RED AS THE EARTH’S SHADOW MOVES ACROSS IT. DURING THE PARTIAL ECLIPSE PHASE. AND HERE ON THE WEST COAST, THAT WILL BE AT ABOUT 150 TOMORROW MORNING, WITH TOTALITY STARTING JUST AFTER THREE AND ENDING JUST AFTER 4 A.M. THE BACK HALF PARTIAL ECLIPSE WILL END JUST AFTER FIVE, AND DURING THIS TIME IT WILL ALSO BE EASIER TO SPOT CONSTELLATIONS, STARS AND PLANETS. ALTHOUGH THIS IS THE LAST TOTAL ECLIPSE UNTIL THE NEW YEAR’S EVE 2028, WE’LL GET TO SEE A PARTIAL ONE IN AUGUST. FOR MORE ON THAT ECLIPSE, LET’S GET BACK OVER TO METEOROLOGIST DIRK VERDOORN DIRK. IF YOU’RE GOING TO WAKE UP THAT EARLY TO WATCH A LUNAR ECLIPSE, YOU WANT TO SEE THE MAX. YOU WANT TO BE THERE WHEN IT’S AT ITS BEST. AS FAR AS THE ECLIPSE GOES, LET’S GO AGAIN. TIMING OUT. WE ALREADY MENTIONED THIS, BUT THIS IS GOING TO BE HAPPENING EARLY TOMORROW MORNING. THIS IS AFTER MIDNIGHT TONIGHT AND INTO TOMORROW MORNING. AND YOU HAVE THE PARTIAL SHADOW THAT’S CALLED THE PENUMBRA. AND THEN YOU HAVE THE SHADOW, THE FULL SHADOW OF THE EARTH. THAT’S THE UMBRA. SO THE MOON’S GOING TO GO THROUGH THAT. YOU HAVE THE SUN, YOU HAVE THE EARTH. AND IT ALL JUST KIND OF LINES UP AND THE MOON. SO IT STARTS TO MAKE ITS WAY THROUGH THE PENUMBRA. THE PARTIAL IT BEGINS AT ABOUT 1244. YOU’RE NOT GOING TO NOTICE MUCH CHANGE AS YOU GET INTO WHERE THE MAIN SHADOW IS. UMBRA. THIS BEGINS AT 153. AGAIN, THIS IS WHEN IT STARTS. YOU WANT TO WAIT TILL IT GETS COMPLETELY IN THAT SHADOW. THAT’S WHEN YOU REALLY START TO NOTICE THE COLORS CHANGE. AND THAT BEGINS AT ABOUT 3:04 A.M. AND THEN IT PEAKS AT ABOUT 333. SO IT’S GOING TO BE COMPLETELY ENGULFED IN THE SHADOW, THE FULL SHADOW OF THE EARTH AT THAT TIME. THEN IT STARTS TO EXIT THAT SHADOW AT ABOUT 402. SO BETWEEN 3 AND 4:00, THAT’S WHEN YOU IF YOU DO WANT TO GO OUT AND SEE IT, LOOK TO THE WEST. IT WILL BE LOWER ON THE HORIZON AND YOU’LL BE ABLE TO SEE THE MOON WITH THE COLOR SHOULD AGAIN KIND OF AN ORANGISH REDDISH COLOR AS IT GOES DOWN. AND THEN IT’S GOING TO BE CLEARING OUT. SO IT SHOULD BE PRETTY DECENT VIEWING. WE’RE LOOKING AT
Blood moon: How to see the total lunar eclipse in California on Tuesday
The skies will be clear but there is the potential for some Valley fog which could make it more difficult to see.
Updated: 4:02 PM PST Mar 2, 2026
A total lunar eclipse will be visible to many in Northern California early Tuesday morning.A lunar eclipse is when the moon passes through the earth’s shadow, causing the moon to dim and even turn a little orange to red. Because of the potential eerie red color, it is also called a blood moon.The skies will be clear but there is the potential for some Valley fog which could make it more difficult to see. For peak viewing, look west between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. and enjoy the spectacle.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
A total lunar eclipse will be visible to many in Northern California early Tuesday morning.
A lunar eclipse is when the moon passes through the earth’s shadow, causing the moon to dim and even turn a little orange to red.
Because of the potential eerie red color, it is also called a blood moon.
The skies will be clear but there is the potential for some Valley fog which could make it more difficult to see.
For peak viewing, look west between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. and enjoy the spectacle.
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TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE tonight!
The sky will be clear enough over NorCal to see it.
Here’s the thing – you have to be up between 3:00 & 4:00 am to see totality.
Anyone that does wake up for this waives their right to complain about the time change this weekend 🙂 @kcranews pic.twitter.com/XisF9K6VeV
— Heather Waldman (@KCRAHeather) March 3, 2026
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