Total lunar eclipse with Blood Moon this week: When and where to watch

Be sure to look up into the sky early on Tuesday morning for the last total lunar eclipse until 2025. 

A lunar eclipse occurs when the Sun, Earth, and Moon align, making it so that the Moon is covered by Earth’s shadow, according to NASA. 

During a total eclipse, the moon falls entirely within the darkest part of our planet’s shadow. Lunar eclipses are sometimes referred to as “Blood Moons” because the moon turns a coppery-red color, according to NASA. 

The total eclipse will be seen from North America, Central America, and parts of South America, including Ecuador, Colombia, and western portions of Venezuela and Peru. The eclipse can also be seen in Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. 

The initial phase of the eclipse, the penumbral eclipse, will begin at 3:02 a.m. ET (12:02 a.m. PT) on Tuesday, NASA said. During this part of the eclipse, the moon will begin to dim as it enters the Earth’s shadow. 

The partial eclipse will be seen at 4:09 a.m. ET (1:09 a.m. PT), when the moon will be half covered by our shadow and half visible. 

The highlight of the night, the total eclipse—when the moon turns red—begins at 5:17 a.m. ET (2:17 a.m. PT) and will go until 6:42 a.m. ET (3:42 a.m. PT). 

To see the Blood Moon, no special equipment is needed, unlike a solar eclipse. However, NASA claims that “binoculars or a telescope will enhance the view and the red color.”

Additionally, a “dark environment away from bright lights makes for the best viewing conditions,” the agency added. 

Tuesday’s total lunar eclipse will be the last one for more than two years—astrophiles will still be able to catch partial and penumbral eclipses until then. The next total eclipse is expected to take place on March 14, 2025. 

“They aren’t that common, so it’s always nice to get a hold of them when you can,” said Dr. Alphonse Sterling, an astrophysicist at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. “I think they’re excellent learning devices for people who want to get into astronomy.”