How to View the ‘Blood Moon’ Total Lunar Eclipse on March 3

The archetypal major astronomical lawsuit disposable successful 2026 is simply a full lunar eclipse, oregon “blood moon.” This improvement is highly prized by stargazers due to the fact that the full lunar disk takes connected a reddish colour for a fewer moments.

The full lunar eclipse volition hap connected March 3. It volition beryllium intelligibly disposable successful North and Central America, portion successful Central and South Asia it volition lone beryllium partially visible. It volition not beryllium disposable successful Europe oregon Africa.

Although the eclipse volition statesman successful the aboriginal morning, totality volition hap astir astatine dawn connected March 3. A fewer hours earlier sunrise, the afloat satellite volition instrumentality connected its diagnostic reddish colour for conscionable 12 minutes.

Times of the Total Lunar Eclipse oregon “Blood Moon”

• Los Angeles: 3:04 am
• Denver: 4:04 am
• Chicago: 5:04 am
• St. Louis: 5:04 am
• New York: 6:04 am
• Washington, DC: 6:04 am

It's harmless to presumption a full lunar eclipse, dissimilar a star eclipse. You don't request immoderate peculiar equipment; conscionable spell to a precocious vantage constituent and formal warmly. Keep successful caput that astatine the clip of totality, the satellite volition beryllium astir touching the horizon, astir to disappear. That's wherefore it's indispensable to presumption it from a precocious place, with nary buildings oregon trees blocking your view.

Why Does the Moon Turn Red?

During a full lunar eclipse, the satellite does not suffer its brightness completely, but takes connected a dull reddish hue. This happens due to the fact that the Earth is positioned betwixt the prima and the satellite and casts its shadiness connected the lunar surface.

Unlike the moon, the Earth is surrounded by an atmosphere, which filters sunlight. Thanks to it, we spot the bluish sky, the orangish sunset, oregon distant objects successful opaque tones. The airy coming from the prima and passing done the Earth's ambiance manages to scope the moon, though successful a smaller proportion. Those already filtered rays interaction the satellite, coating it red. “It's arsenic if each the world's sunrises and sunsets are projected onto the moon,” NASA explains.

Total lunar eclipses are somewhat rarer than full star eclipses. A humor satellite occurs each 2.5 years connected average, portion a full star eclipse happens astir each 18 months, according to NASA's astronomical catalogs.

Total lunar eclipses look much predominant due to the fact that they tin beryllium observed from anyplace it is nighttime. In contrast, to spot a full star eclipse it is indispensable to beryllium precisely successful the constrictive set of totality. For example, an perceiver tin spot a full lunar eclipse each 2 to 3 years, but mightiness person to hold astir 375 years to spot a full star eclipse from his oregon her city.

This communicative primitively appeared on WIRED en Español and has been translated from Spanish.