posted 03-12-2025 04:54 PM               

March 13-14, 2025 Total Lunar Eclipse

On March 14, 2025 (the night of March 13), the Moon enters the Earth's shadow, creating a total lunar eclipse, the first since November of 2022.

This eclipse will be visible from Earth's Western Hemisphere.

• Penumbral eclipse begins (8:57pm PDT, 11:57pm EDT, 03:57 UTC) — The Moon enters the Earth's penumbra, the outer part of the shadow. The Moon begins to dim, but the effect is quite subtle.

• Partial eclipse begins (10:09pm PDT, 1:09am EDT, 05:09 UTC) - The Moon begins to enter Earth's umbra and the partial eclipse begins. To the naked eye, as the Moon moves into the umbra, it looks like a bite is being taken out of the lunar disk. The part of the Moon inside the umbra appears very dark.

• Totality begins (11:26pm PDT, 2:26am EDT, 06:26 UTC) - The entire Moon is now in the Earth's umbra. The Moon is tinted a coppery red. Try binoculars or a telescope for a better view. If you want to take a photo, use a camera on a tripod with exposures of at least several seconds.

• Totality ends (12:31am PDT, 3:31am EDT, 07:31 UTC) - As the Moon exits Earth's umbra, the red color fades. It looks as if a bite is being taken out of the opposite side of the lunar disk from before.

• Partial eclipse ends (1:47am PDT, 4:47am EDT, 08:47 UTC) - The whole Moon is in Earth's penumbra, but again, the dimming is subtle.

• Penumbral eclipse ends (3:00am PDT, 6:00am EDT, 10:00 UTC) - The eclipse is over.

posted 03-12-2025 04:58 PM               

Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles will host a live, online broadcast of the total lunar eclipse on March 13-14, from 8:50 p.m. to 3:05 a.m., PDT, weather permitting.

(Griffith Observatory is not conducting onsite public viewing for this eclipse. Griffith Park will not be open during the eclipse.)

posted 03-12-2025 05:24 PM               

The eclipse will begin shortly before dawn on Friday 14 March and can be best viewed around 06:20 GMT, although these times will vary depending on where you are. The eclipse's actual maximum is at 06:58 GMT, but for many Britons the Moon will have already set below the horizon at this time.

For some people, particularly those in the west of the UK, a total lunar eclipse should be visible with the naked eye – weather permitting – while others in the east and south east of England will only see a partial lunar eclipse because the Moon won't be completely within the Earth's shadow by the time it sets.

Either way, skywatchers should see the Moon take on an "eerie" reddish hue as sunlight gets through the Earth's atmosphere and is bent back towards the lunar surface by refraction.