In the early hours of March 3, 2026skywatchers across the US will be treated to one total lunar eclipse — the only one until the end of 2028. During this “blood moon“, the full moon will pass through Earth’s shadow and glow a rich coppery red for nearly an hour. It’s a beautiful and accessible celestial event—and one that anyone can photograph with a little planning.
You don’t need advanced equipment to photograph a lunar eclipse. What matters more is being ready: knowing when it’s happening, where to look, and how to adjust your camera or smartphone to changing light. Whether you’re snapping on a smartphone or setting up a carefully composed telephoto, the most important things are timing, placement and focus. So check the sky, get your settings ready, and make it an early morning worth remembering.
1. Get the exact time and schedule for your location
The only sum lunar eclipse of 2026 – and the last until New Year’s Eve 2028-2029 – will take place at the same global time, 08:44 and 14:22 GMT on Tuesday 3 March. It will be best seen in western North America, the Pacific, New Zealand, Australia and East Asia. Totality — the most photogenic part, when the moon will be completely reddish — takes place at these times:
- Eastern Time: 06:04-07:02 EST on March 3, 2026 (the Moon will set below totality in the Eastern Time Zone)
- Central Time: 05:04 – 06:02 CST March 3, 2026
- Mountain Time: 04:04–05:02 MST March 3, 2026
- Pacific Time: 3:04-4:02 am PST March 3, 2026
- Alaska Time: 2:04 AM – 3:02 AM AKST March 3, 2026
- Hawaii Time: 01:04 AM – 02:02 AM HST March 3, 2026
Although the totality is the main act, there are partial and penumbral phases on each side, which together make the event last over five hours. Visit Time and date to get a schedule of your position, which also includes where the moon will be in the sky to help you plan your shot.
Read more: When is the blood moon total lunar eclipse tonight?
2. Head west for the best view
US states to the east will not have a fantastic view, with the moon setting below totality – a frustrating sight. The further west you go, the better the view, with the West Coast a better option than the Midwest. Although most of the eclipse will be visible from Chicago, for example, the moon will set just 20 minutes after totality ends, meaning totality will be seen near the western horizon. Even in the western United States, the moon will be low in the western sky during totality, so it’s important to find a spot with an unobstructed view to the west. High spots and open fields are wise choices, as is scouting your location a few days in advance so you know what to expect.
Related: 10 best places to see the total lunar eclipse ‘blood moon’ on March 3
3. Check the climate, then the weather
Cloud cover is the biggest threat to any kind of eclipse photography, and in early March it’s likely to be a big consideration. According to historical cloud cover data (which you can check for any location using NASA world view), the clearest skies in the United States are usually found in the southwestern United States, making Arizona and California theoretically the best places to be. However, climate is only useful in advance planning; from about three days out, use weather apps like Windy and Clean up outside to track local cloud cover forecasts. If you can, have wheels so you can move if the original location looks cloudy a day or two before.
4. Practice focusing a camera on the moon
If you’ve never pictured the moon before, read on How to photograph the moon using a camera and practice – it will make all the difference. If you use a long lens (200-600mm), try autofocus on the moon, but also manual focus, use “live view” to magnify the moon. Make adjustments and, if you want, mark the exact point on the focus wheel. You can do the same for a wide-angle lens, although turning to the infinity icon (∞) on the dial may be enough. Adjust the focus until it’s sharp – blurry overall images are so common and so disappointing.
After the first quarter moon on February 24, there will be a bright moon in the south and southeast after sunset each night through the March eclipse. 3. It will get brighter every night; use any clear sky to practice.
5. Adjust the exposure throughout the eclipse
During the eclipse, the Moon will first be swallowed by Earth’s hazy outer penumbra, noticeably losing brightness but remaining gray. As it enters the darker inner umbral shadow (subphase), it darkens significantly before finally turning reddish. According to the late great eclipse photographer Fred Espenak on the Nikon, after a close-up of the blood moon, they should set the camera to ISO 400, open the lens to its widest aperture and try a series of exposures, adjusting the shutter speed in five-second increments. You will probably start with fast shutter speeds like 1/250s, f/8 to f/11 aperture at ISO 400 when the eclipse begins, but overall it will be more like 1-2 second exposures, f/2.8 aperture and ISO to 800-1600. Making constant adjustments is key – and it’s a 58-minute total, so you have plenty of time to experiment. Bracketing (taking multiple exposures at different settings) is a wise move during totality, with 0.5-second, 1-second and 2-second exposures – all at the same ISO and aperture – helping to retain plenty of detail.
6. Know how to use a smartphone
Smartphones get really good at astrophotography, but that only applies to wide-angle shots; resist the temptation to zoom in on the moon and instead try to frame it reflected in a lake or pond, among buildings or over mountains or trees. In addition to limiting yourself to landscape shots, use some stabilization, such as a small tripod that supports a universal smartphone holder mount.
With a squeeze, you can support it against a bottle or a rock – especially since the eclipse will take place relatively low in the sky. It is also wise to use timed exposures to further reduce the threat of motion. When you’re happy with the composition, tap on the moon to focus, and slide your finger down to lower the brightness. Shooting in raw is also a good idea, if that’s an option.
7. Other things to think about
Stay warm, always use a tripod, charge your batteries or bring a portable battery, have empty SD cards available and use a release cable or app you trust. Espenak also recommends turning on the camera’s long exposure noise reduction feature and, more importantly, placing the moon’s image in one corner of the camera’s viewfinder. That way, it can drift through the camera’s field of view during the exposure, instead of drifting out of it. But which corner? For North America, during the eclipse, the moon will move from upper left to lower right – it will be on its way to setting in the west.
Photographing a total lunar eclipse – whose totality lasts nearly an hour – is so much less frenetic than a total solar eclipsebut take some time between exposures to take in the amazing sight. Total lunar eclipses are like buses; you don’t get one for several years, then three come at once. The March 3, 2026 Blood Moon is the last until a trio of total lunar eclipses begin in late 2028, so enjoy it.
