Watch the Skies for a Blood-Red Total Lunar Eclipse
A total lunar eclipse, known as the blood moon, is visible between skyscrapers Friday, March 14, 2025, in downtown Chicago. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)
A blood-red moon will soon appear in the sky during a total lunar eclipse, and another one won’t occur again until late 2028, according to the AP. The celestial event will be visible Tuesday morning across North America, Central America, and the western parts of South America. People in Australia and eastern Asia will be able to see it Tuesday night. Observers in Central Asia and much of South America may catch the partial stages of the eclipse, when small sections appear to be missing from the moon. Africa and Europe, however, will not have a view of the event.
Solar and lunar eclipses occur when the sun, moon, and Earth align precisely. According to NASA, there are typically four to seven eclipses each year. These events often occur close together because the orbits of the three bodies periodically line up in just the right way. Tuesday’s total lunar eclipse comes about two weeks after a “ring of fire” solar eclipse that was visible over Antarctica, where both researchers and wildlife observed the phenomenon.
During a total lunar eclipse, Earth moves directly between the sun and a full moon, casting its shadow across the moon’s surface. The moon can appear reddish during this phase, which is why it is often called a “blood moon.” The red color comes from small amounts of sunlight that pass through Earth’s atmosphere and bend toward the moon.
The entire event unfolds over several hours, with the period of totality lasting roughly one hour. Compared with solar eclipses, lunar eclipses happen at a more relaxed pace. As Catherine Miller of Middlebury College’s Mittelman Observatory explained, viewers don’t need any special equipment to watch. Anyone with a clear, cloudless view of the sky can observe the eclipse.
Astronomers recommend checking a forecasting app or an online celestial calendar to find the exact timing for your location. Stepping outside periodically during the night will allow viewers to watch Earth’s shadow gradually darken the moon until the reddish-orange glow becomes visible. As University of Delaware astronomer Bennett Maruca noted, observers don’t need to stay outside the entire time to notice the shadow slowly moving across the moon.
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