The last full blood moon eclipse happened in 2022. (Image: Getty)
The first total lunar eclipse since 2022 is due to take place next month, with stargazers in North America and South America set to get a stunning view of what has been dubbed a “blood moon.”
The event will take place on the night of March 13-14. At the peak of the eclipse, around midnight on the U.S. East Coast, the moon will be approximately 225,000 miles away.
The lunar eclipse, similar to a solar eclipse, requires a precise alignment of the sun, Earth, and moon, resulting in the sun’s rays being blocked from reaching the moon’s surface.
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Meanwhile, as the Earth’s shadow falls on the lunar surface, the typical brightness of the full moon is dimmed, often producing orange and red hues. The most breathtaking phase of the eclipse is totality, where the entire lunar surface takes on a reddish hue, transforming into a true “blood moon.”
It’s even rarer that an eclipse and a blood moon coincide. Unlike total solar eclipses – which can only be observed from a narrow path of totality – a total lunar eclipse is visible from anywhere on the Earth’s night side.
On the night of March 13-14, this will include all North American time zones, including Alaska and Hawaii.
Observers in Western Europe will witness the moon setting while still eclipsed, while those in Australia and New Zealand will see it rise already in totality.
For those residing in the eastern parts of North America, the initial partial phase of the eclipse will kick off at 1:09 a.m. EDT on March 14, with the totality lasting from 2:26 am. to 3:32 a.m. EDT.
Meanwhile, on the West Coast, the partial phase commences at 10:09 p.m. PDT on March 13, with the totality occurring from 11:26 p.m. to 12:32 a.m. PDT on March 14.
These differences are merely due to time zones as lunar eclipses are global events that occur simultaneously worldwide.
