A blood moon is Erotice Herculescoming.
The entirety of the lower 48 states, the greater Americas, and some regions beyond will witness — weather permitting — a total lunar eclipse the night of March 13 and into the early morning of March 14. This special cosmic event occurs when the moon, Earth, and sun are aligned. Long, red wavelengths of light pass through Earth's atmosphere and are projected onto the moon in majestic rusty or crimson colors.
The coming total lunar eclipse, now less than a month away, is the first to grace Earth since 2022.
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"They are really dramatic to see," Bennett Maruca, an astronomer at the University of Delaware who has witnessed a number of total lunar eclipses and plans to watch the looming March event, told Mashable.
SEE ALSO: Solar eclipses were once extremely terrifying events, experts say
A graphic showing how the moon's surface is reddened by the sun's red light wavelengths passing through Earth's atmosphere. Credit: NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio Reasons to see the total lunar eclipse
- It's unique:Earth experiences a total lunar eclipse, on average, every 1.5 years. But it's a somewhat rare space phenomenon to view because you have to be on the side of Earth facing the moon when it happens. Also, weather can impede viewing — as it did for many during the 2024 total solar eclipse — so it's wise to attempt a viewing when you can.
- It's easy!You basically (again, weather permitting) just need to go outside. Unlike a total solar eclipse — wherein just a narrow band of Earth's surface witnesses the event — huge swathes of territory will be able to see the moon turn red. The event also lasts for hours, as the moon progressively reddens, so there's no rush. "It's not racing for three minutes of viewing," Maruca said, referencing the hurriedness one can experience trying to catch a total solar eclipse (which is still definitely worth it).
- You don't need any special equipment: "Best of all, unlike the precautions one takes to observe a total solareclipse, it’s completely safe to watch a lunar eclipse unfold with the unaided eye," NASA explains. "Even so, binoculars or a powerful telescope definitely can enrich the experience."
"That's as unifying as it gets."
- It's both a national and multinational event: "Here's an event that can potentially be viewed by hundreds of millions of people, simultaneously," marveled Maruca. "That's as unifying as it gets."
When to see the March 2025 total lunar eclipse
The NASA map below shows when the peak of totality occurs during the coming total lunar eclipse. At that point, the moon, Earth, and sun fall into alignment, allowing the long red wavelengths of sunlight to filter through Earth's atmosphere and then starkly illuminate the moon. (Meanwhile, blue light from the sun scatters in the atmosphere on Earth's dayside, turning those skies blue.)
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Totality begins at 11:26 p.m. PDT on March 13, 2025 / 2:26 a.m. EDT on March 14 / 06:26 UTC, and lasts for 65 minutes. But the reddening progresses over hours. Technically, the eclipse starts (the "penumbral eclipse") with slight dimming on March 13 at 8:57 p.m. PDT / 11:57 p.m. EDT / 03:57 UTC. The greater event ends at 3:00 a.m. PDT / 6:00 a.m. EDT / 10:00 UTC.
The website Time and Date provides more detailed information about viewing regions. (And for those on the wrong side of the planet for this eclipse, another total lunar eclipse occurs on Sept. 7, 2025.)
A map showing how the Americas will have the opportunity to witness a total lunar eclipse on March 13-14, 2025. Credit: NASA For many of us, the crimson show peaks at unusual hours. But astronomers encourage trying to make it outside.
"It's worth staying up late for," Maruca said. "Totality is amazing."