The moon will appear to turn red next week during a total lunar eclipse on March 14 that will be viewable for most of America (Video Credit: NASA Videos).
For the first time in three years, all 50 states will be treated to a total lunar eclipse on Thursday and Friday when the Sun, Earth and Blood Worm Moon align.
It should be a spectacular show. Here’s everything you need to know about the total lunar eclipse.
What time is the total lunar eclipse?
The total lunar eclipse occurs on Thursday and Friday, with the maximum eclipse happening very early Friday for those on Eastern time.
According to NASA, the Moon will be eclipsed by Earth‘s shadow on March 14. The eclipse begins at 11:57 p.m. ET Thursday and reaches totality at 2:59 a.m. ET Friday.
The maximum eclipse time will vary depending on where you are in the U.S. The graphic below breaks down the timing across all time zones. Those on the East Coast will need to pull an all-nighter to see the total lunar eclipse. However, Hawaii lucks out with the totality happening early enough for some kiddos to stay up and see.
BLOOD MOON TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE HAPPENS THIS WEEK. HERE’S HOW YOU CAN SEE IT
Total lunar eclipse timing for the U.S. on Thursday and Friday.
(FOX Weather)
Where will the total lunar eclipse be visible?
The March 13 and 14, 2025 Blood Moon lunar eclipse will be visible throughout North America and South America and the Western Hemisphere. A partial eclipse will be visible in western parts of Africa and Europe.
No telescopes or special viewing equipment is needed to see this celestial event. Just step outside, grab a comfortable seat, maybe a warm blanket and look up.
A global map showing where the total lunar eclipse will be visible in 2025.
The biggest question for skygazers is whether the weather will disrupt your viewing.
While most of the U.S. will have a mainly clear sky for the total lunar eclipse on Thursday and Friday, stubborn cloud cover will complicate viewing for some in the Northeast, mid-Atlantic and northern Plains. Here is the full eclipse-viewing forecast.
How to watch the lunar eclipse online
If you don’t want to step outside or the weather mentioned above blocks your view, you can still see the eclipse online.
FOX Weather will stream different views of the lunar eclipse on YouTube beginning at 11 p.m. ET.
What can you expect to see during the Blood Moon eclipse?
This graphic shows different phases of a lunar eclipse.
The graphic above shows the different phases of the eclipse, which is an hours-long event.
Just before midnight ET (9 p.m. PT), the Moon enters the Earth’s penumbra, the outer part of the shadow, and a partial eclipse begins about 10 minutes later.
When totality begins, just before 2:30 a.m. ET (11:30 p.m. PT), the whole Moon is behind the Earth’s shadow, or umbra. This is when the reddish color begins.
Why does the Moon appear red during a lunar eclipse?
FILE: The Total Lunar Eclipse, also called a ‘Blood Moon’ for the last time until 2025 is observed over Charlotte, NC, United States on November 8, 2022. (Photo by Peter Zay/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
(Getty Images)
According to NASA, the “blood red” appearance of the Moon happens when the entire Moon falls within the darkest part of Earth’s shadow, known as the umbra. Any sunlight that is not blocked by Earth, filters through our atmosphere to the lunar surface.
The same process is what makes the sky blue and sunsets orange-red. NASA said sunlight contains a rainbow of properties. Red-orange light travels farther than cooler wavelengths like blue, which scatter.
“It’s as if all the world’s sunrises and sunsets are projected onto the Moon,” according to NASA.