Get Ready for a Celestial Spectacle: Total Lunar Eclipse to Grace North American Skies in March 2025
Are you ready for one of the most beautiful celestial events of 2025? On the night of Thursday, March 13, through Friday, March 14, North America will have a front-row seat to witness a total lunar eclipse - colloquially called a “blood moon.” This rare event, not seen anywhere since 2022, promises to be a captivating spectacle for stargazers across the continent.
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| On March 13-14, 2025, North America [+] | getty |
What is a Total Lunar Eclipse?
A total lunar eclipse occurs when Earth is positioned directly between the sun and a full moon. This alignment causes Earth’s central shadow, its umbra, to fall across the lunar surface, blocking the sun’s light. When the whole of the moon is within Earth’s umbra, the only light reaching the lunar surface is sunlight refracted through Earth’s atmosphere - which is why the lunar surface turns a striking red. This is known as totality.
Why Does the Moon Turn Red?
The reddish hue of the moon during a total lunar eclipse is a result of a phenomenon called Rayleigh scattering. As sunlight passes through Earth's atmosphere, shorter wavelengths of light, like blue and green, are scattered away. Longer wavelengths, like red and orange, are less affected and continue to travel through the atmosphere, eventually reaching the moon. This refracted light, which is predominantly red, is what illuminates the lunar surface during totality.
A Unique Celestial Event:
Unlike a total solar eclipse, during which totality lasts only a few minutes and can only be seen from specific locations, a total lunar eclipse is visible from anywhere on the night side of Earth. This particular eclipse will be especially noteworthy as totality will last for a remarkable 65 minutes. This extended period of totality is partly due to the moon being farther from Earth than on average, meaning it will take longer to travel through Earth’s umbra.
What Happens During a Total Lunar Eclipse?
The entire process of a total lunar eclipse takes many hours. It begins with the moon gradually entering Earth’s penumbra, the outer part of its shadow, causing the full moon to lose its brightness gradually. This subtle effect is often difficult to detect with the naked eye. As the moon moves into Earth’s umbra, the partial eclipse begins, and its surface becomes redder. When the moon is wholly within the umbra, it is completely reddish - this is the famous “blood moon” effect. Halfway through totality, the entire process goes into reverse.
Where and When to Witness the Celestial Spectacle: The Total Lunar Eclipse of March 13-14
The night sky will soon be ablaze with a breathtaking celestial event: a total lunar eclipse. This mesmerizing phenomenon, where the Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon, casting its shadow upon our lunar neighbor, will be visible across much of the globe on the night of March 13th and into the early hours of March 14th. For those in North America, this is a particularly special occasion, marking the continent's first total lunar eclipse since 2022 and offering the best viewing opportunity until 2029.
Timing is Everything: A Global Perspective
While the eclipse is a global event, the precise timing will vary depending on your location due to differences in time zones. For viewers on the East Coast of North America, the partial phase of the eclipse – when the Earth's shadow begins to creep across the moon's surface – commences at 1:09 a.m. EDT on March 14th. Totality, the moment when the moon is completely immersed in Earth's umbra (the darkest part of the shadow), will then grace the sky from 2:26 a.m. to 3:32 a.m. EDT.
West Coast observers will have a slightly earlier show, with the partial eclipse beginning at 10:09 p.m. PDT on March 13th and totality lasting from 11:26 p.m. to 12:32 a.m. PDT. This difference is simply a matter of time zones; the cosmic event itself unfolds simultaneously across the night side of the Earth. Those in Western Europe will witness the moon setting while still totally eclipsed, a dramatic end to the spectacle. Conversely, in Australia and New Zealand, the moon will rise already cloaked in the Earth's shadow, a stunning beginning to the celestial show.
The Enigmatic Red Hue: Why the 'Blood Moon'?
One of the most captivating aspects of a total lunar eclipse is the moon's transformation into a striking, reddish-orange hue, often referred to as a "blood moon." This dramatic color change isn't due to some supernatural phenomenon, but rather a fascinating interplay of light and Earth's atmosphere.
As sunlight streams through Earth's atmosphere, shorter wavelengths of light, like blue and violet, are scattered in all directions. This is the same process that makes our daytime sky appear blue. However, during a total lunar eclipse, the longer wavelengths of light – reds and oranges – are bent, or refracted, around the Earth and onto the moon's surface.
This phenomenon, known as Rayleigh scattering, effectively filters out the cooler colors, leaving only the warm, reddish tones to illuminate the moon. Imagine, if you will, thousands of sunsets simultaneously casting their glow upon the lunar surface – that's essentially what creates the blood moon's captivating crimson appearance.
While 2023 offers two total lunar eclipses, the second one on September 7th-8th will unfortunately not be visible from North America. This makes the March 13th-14th eclipse all the more precious for North American skywatchers, providing a celestial treat that won't be matched in quality until 2029. So, mark your calendars, set your alarms, and prepare to be mesmerized by the beauty and wonder of a total lunar eclipse. It's a spectacle you won't want to miss!