The full moon might look red this weekend, depending on where you are.

A lunar eclipse will make September’s full moon appear red this weekend… depending on where you are.  

Lunar eclipses, the opposite of solar eclipses, happen when the Earth is positioned between the full moon and sun. The red glow is creates earns these types of eclipses the title of “blood moon.” 

The main show, a total eclipse, will be visible in Asia — from Saudi Arabia to the Philippines, as far north as the Arctic Ocean all the way down to Antarctica — as well as parts of East Africa and the western half of Australia. The rest of Africa and Australia, as well as Europe, will be treated to some but not all of the action. Tidbits will be visible from the Brazilian coast and part of Alaska.

The eclipse will not be seen in the United States since its peak illumination will be at 2 p.m. ET. Despite this, many  


When is the blood moon eclipse?

The full moon and eclipse will happen late Sunday, Sept. 7, into Monday, Sept. 8 and last roughly an hour and 22 minutes, according to the Associated Press. 


Will America see September’s blood moon?

The eclipse is unlikely to be seen in the United States. Americans will have to wait until March to see the next blood moon, total lunar eclipse. 

According to NASA, on March 3, 2026, another total lunar eclipse will be visible from the Americas. Just a few months later, a partial lunar eclipse will be visible on Aug. 27-28, 2026.

After that, our next total lunar eclipse won’t happen again until June 2029.

Here’s a video from Space.com as to when and where the total lunar eclipse will be seen. 

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How to watch the blood moon

Time and Date has a YouTube livestream already up in preparation for the full lunar eclipse. It can be found here. 


When is the next full moon?

If you miss this one, mark your calendar for the next full moon, which will rise Monday, Oct. 6, known as the Hunter’s Moon, or the Harvest Moon due to the timing of the autumnal equinox. After that, 2025 will bring:

Nov. 5: Beaver MoonDec. 4: Cold Moon


Why does the moon turn red during a lunar eclipse?

The moon appears to turn crimson thanks to the same process that makes our skies blue and our sunsets red, NASA says. 

When sunlight passes through Earth’s atmosphere, blue light scatters more easily while red light travels more directly through the air. During a lunar eclipse, some of the sunlight passes all the way through the Earth’s atmosphere and reaches the moon’s surface, giving it a subtle glow. 

“It’s as if all the world’s sunrises and sunsets are projected onto the Moon,” NASA says.

The space agency says the intensity of the moon’s color depends on the amount of dust or clouds in the Earth’s atmosphere at the time of the eclipse — the more clouds or dust there is, the redder it appears. 


Do you need glasses to see a lunar eclipse? 

No, unlike a solar eclipse (when the sun is blocked by the moon), a lunar eclipse is perfectly safe to watch. They happen when the earth’s shadow blocks sunlight from hitting the moon, meaning there’s no direct sunlight to damage anybody’s eyes. 

During a solar eclipse, the light of the sun is still visible around the edges of the moon, posing a danger to the eyes of sky watchers. 

Usually when you look at the sun in the sky, the bright light damages the retinas in the back of your eyes. In fact, it can cause permanent damage in a matter of seconds, according to Scientific America. 

Eclipse glasses, similar to masks used by welders, are often used to allow people to watch a solar eclipse. 

Technically, you don’t need any eye protection during the height of a solar eclipse, when day turns to night and the sun is completely covered by the moon. In those minutes of complete darkness, the sun’s corona won’t be as bright, only appearing as streams of white light around the moon.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.Â