East Asia, Australia, the Pacific, the Americas · 3 March 2026

Total lunar eclipse of 3 March 2026

The Moon turns a deep red for 58 minutes of totality. Seen from wherever the Moon is up: East Asia, Australia, the Pacific, the Americas.

0days 00hours 00minutes 00seconds

This eclipse happened on 3 March 2026.

Next: Total lunar eclipse, 31 December 2028

GreatestTuesday 3 March 2026, 11:33 UTC

See it in 3D ↓

Greatest eclipse

11:33 UTC

3 March 2026

Totality

58 min

the Moon fully in shadow

Partial phases

3 h 27 min

from first to last bite

Visible from

The night side

East Asia, Australia, the Pacific, the Americas

Where and when to see it

A lunar eclipse is seen from wherever the Moon is above the horizon at the time: East Asia, Australia, the Pacific, the Americas. No path, no special place; step outside and look at the full Moon.

Stage	UTC	Your time
Partial eclipse begins	09:50	09:50 UTC
Totality begins	11:04	11:04 UTC
Greatest eclipse	11:33	11:33 UTC
Totality ends	12:02	12:02 UTC
Partial eclipse ends	13:17	13:17 UTC

Times are the same for everyone; only the clock on the wall differs. Before and after these, the Moon passes through Earth's faint outer shadow, which dims it too little to notice.

What is happening

The Earth passes between the Sun and the full Moon, and its shadow falls across the Moon. Its dark inner part, the umbra, is about three times as wide as the Moon.

For 58 min the whole Moon sits inside it. No direct sunlight reaches it then, only light bent through the Earth's atmosphere, which filters out the blue just as it does at sunset. The Moon glows copper or deep red, lit by every sunrise and sunset on Earth at once; how dark depends on how much dust and cloud is in our air.

How to watch it

It is completely safe to look at with your eyes, binoculars or a telescope. You are only looking at the Moon.
Binoculars show the colour and the shadow's edge best. A phone on a tripod or wall can catch it with a few seconds' exposure.
Cloud is the only thing that can spoil it, so check the forecast and have a second place in mind.

See it in 3D

The Moon sliding into the Earth’s shadow on the night and turning red, drawn by our 3D viewer from the real positions of the Sun, the Moon and the Earth. Press play to load it here, then play, pause and scrub through the eclipse, or open it in the full viewer.

The Moon in the Earth’s shadow in 3D, rendered by the Our Solar System viewer

Open this eclipse in the 3D viewer →

Get a reminder

We email you a day or two before, with the time. Leave your email once and we send a code to confirm it; nothing else arrives unless you ask for it.

Questions

What time is the lunar eclipse on 3 March 2026?

Greatest eclipse is at 11:33 UTC. The partial phases run from about 09:50 to 13:17 UTC, with totality from about 11:04 to 12:02 UTC. The table on this page shows them in your own time.

Where can I see it?

From anywhere the Moon is up at the time: East Asia, Australia, the Pacific, the Americas.

Is it safe to look at a lunar eclipse?

Yes. It is only the Moon in the Earth's shadow, safe to the eye, through binoculars and through a telescope.

Why does the Moon turn red?

The only light reaching it during totality has passed through the Earth's atmosphere, which scatters away the blue and lets the red through, the same reason sunsets are red.

When is the next lunar eclipse?

Partial lunar eclipse, 28 August 2026. The next total lunar eclipse is 31 December 2028.