A celestial spectacle is set to grace the skies on Tuesday: a total lunar eclipse will make the moon appear blood red to millions of sky watchers across the globe.
Eclipses occur when the sun, moon and earth align in precise ways. In this case, the Earth will be located directly between the Sun and the full Moon, casting a shadow over our natural satellite. As Earth blocks some of the Sun’s light, stray rays will pass around and through our atmosphere, turning the Moon’s usually pearlescent surface red.
The lunar eclipse will be visible across the Americas in the early morning of March 3, as well as for stargazers in Australia and East Asia on Tuesday evening. The moment of totality – when the Earth completely covers the Moon in its shadow – will begin at 6:04 AM EST and end at 7:03 AM EST. Unfortunately for moon enthusiasts in Africa and Europe, the spectacle will not be visible there.
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Tuesday’s eclipse follows on the heels of a “ring of fire” solar eclipse that occurred on February 17, although only viewers in Antarctica caught it in all its glory. During that event, the Moon passed between the Earth and the Sun, covering our star so that only a halo of light was left visible.
This upcoming eclipse is especially special because it will be the last total lunar eclipse until December 2028. Cloud watchers hoping to catch a glimpse of Tuesday’s event will not require any special equipment to view the eclipse. They just need to hope for a cloudless night, go out when it’s dark and look up.
For viewers in the United States, the fun will begin around 3:45 a.m. EST and will last until 9:23 a.m. EST, but on the East Coast, the moon will set well before the eclipse ends. It will be worth going outside a few times during the eclipse: as the event progresses, Earth’s shadow will creep across the moon, turning it a darker shade of red as it slips into alignment before the color fades away again as the planet moves on.
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