Blood Moon to light up the sky on March 3

Lunar eclipses occur when Earth moves directly between the Sun and the Moon, causing Earth’s shadow to fall across the lunar surface. The March 3 event will be a total lunar eclipse, meaning the Moon will pass fully into the darkest part of Earth’s shadow, known as the umbra.

During this phase, the Moon does not disappear completely. Instead, it takes on an orange or red glow, often called a Blood Moon. The effect occurs because sunlight passing through Earth’s atmosphere is filtered before reaching the Moon. Shorter blue wavelengths scatter away, while longer red and orange wavelengths travel through the atmosphere and illuminate the Moon.

Scientists say the eclipse will reach its greatest point at 11:34:52 UTC, when the center of the Moon is closest to the center of Earth’s shadow. The total phase will last about 58 minutes, while the entire eclipse event will continue for more than three hours.

The spectacle will be visible across East Asia, Australia, the Pacific region and the Americas, with each location seeing the event at different local times.

Lunar eclipses happen during the full Moon phase and can be observed safely with the naked eye. Unlike solar eclipses, which are visible only from narrow areas of Earth, a lunar eclipse can be seen from roughly half of the planet wherever the Moon is above the horizon.

Another lunar eclipse will follow later in the year. On August 28, 2026, a partial lunar eclipse will be visible across the eastern Pacific, the Americas, Europe and Africa, when only part of the Moon enters Earth’s shadow.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency published a photo report of the 2025 Blood Moon.