Mark your calendar for the morning of Tuesday, March 3, 2026! A total lunar eclipse will be lighting up the sky across the region, and you won’t want to miss it.
The best viewing window is early morning, from 6:04 AM to 7:02 AM EST.
So, what’s actually happening during a lunar eclipse? Basically, the Earth slides directly between the Sun and the Moon, casting a shadow that slowly darkens the Moon. Sometimes, it even takes on a stunning deep red color, earning it the nickname “blood moon.”
Fun fact: the Moon doesn’t make its own light — it just reflects sunlight. Usually, during a full moon, the Sun, Earth, and Moon line up, but the Moon usually passes just above or below Earth’s shadow. When the alignment is perfect, the Moon slips into that shadow, creating the eclipse we can see.
The red glow happens because sunlight filters through Earth’s atmosphere on its way to the Moon. The atmosphere scatters the shorter blue light and lets the warmer red and orange tones through — the same reason sunsets look red. That filtered light gives the Moon its dramatic coppery glow.
Lunar eclipses happen a few times a year somewhere in the world, but not all of them are visible everywhere. Total lunar eclipses are rarer than partial ones, making this one a really special skywatching event.
