Topline
Did you see the spectacular “blood moon” total lunar eclipse? Late on Thursday night and into the early hours of Friday, the full “Worm Moon” turned a beautiful reddish color as it drifted through Earth’s massive umbral shadow in space.
Key Facts
On March 13-14, 2025, the first total lunar eclipse since 2022 occurred, with North and South America getting the best views.
The moon slowly dimmed as it entered the umbra, Earth’s central shadow in space, becoming a stunning copper-red orb in the night sky.
The best total lunar eclipse visible in North America until 2029, those in the eastern half of the continent were able to follow the eclipse mostly after midnight, while those in the western half had a more convenient view in the “prime time” hours of the evening.
Observers in Western Europe saw the moon slip into Earth’s shadow just before moonset, while those in New Zealand witnessed the moon rising already eclipsed.
Color Of The Moon
During the eclipse, the moon traveled through the northern half of the Earth’s shadow. Consequently, from the Northern Hemisphere, the moon’s southern limb — closest to the center of Earth’s shadow — became rather dark during totality, while the northern limb was a lighter pinkish, orangey. The moon glowed red during totality due to sunlight refracting through Earth’s atmosphere. The phenomenon, often called a “blood moon,” occurs because Earth’s atmosphere scatters shorter-wavelength blue and green light while allowing red and orange hues to pass through and illuminate the moon.
Why It Was Called The ‘columbus Eclipse’
The “blood moon” shone on the side of the Spring Triangle, a simple equilateral triangle of red supergiant stars Arcturus, Spica and Denebola, the latter just above the moon. It was a near-identical scene to the night of Feb. 29-March 1, 1504, when Christopher Columbus used his astronomical knowledge to terrify the indigenous Arawak people, convincing them to cooperate with his crew, according to Space.com. Last night’s total lunar eclipse occurred exactly one hypersaros after the Feb. 29-March 1, 1504 event. A hypersaros is a 521-year cycle in which lunar eclipses occur with nearly identical characteristics — depth, position in the sky and time of year.
When Is The Next Eclipse?
Another total lunar eclipse is coming later this year. On Sept. 7–8, 2025, the full “Corn Moon” will become the year’s second “blood moon” — this time for 82 minutes — but this time, it will be best visible from Asia, with Europe glimpsing it at moonrise. The next visible total lunar eclipse from North America will occur on March 3-4, 2026, with those in Hawaii, Alaska and western regions of the U.S. and Canada getting the best view of totality, which will last 58 minutes.
Background
A total lunar eclipse happens when the Earth is directly between the sun and a full moon, casting a shadow on to the lunar surface. During totality, the only sunlight reaching the moon comes through Earth’s atmosphere, which refracts and filters it, scattering blue and green wavelengths and allowing only reddish light to illuminate the moon. According to NASA, totality during a total lunar eclipse is like thousands of sunsets being projected onto the moon.
