How to watch the 3 March 2026 lunar eclipse
01
Check your local times. The exact start and end of totality vary by time zone. Mid-eclipse occurs at approximately 01:33 UTC on 3 March. Use timeanddate.com's eclipse calculator or a planetarium app to find the precise times for your city.
02
No equipment required. The entire eclipse is visible to the naked eye. A pair of binoculars (8× or more) will show the Moon's reddened surface in more detail and let you see the edge of Earth's umbra as a sharp, curved boundary. A 150 mm or larger telescope can reveal individual craters by the red glow.
03
Find a clear southern view. In March the full Moon is in Virgo or Leo, relatively low in the sky from northern Europe. Find a site with an unobstructed southern horizon. Avoid light pollution for the best red colour — city skies wash out the subtle tones.
04
Photograph it. Any camera with manual controls can capture a lunar eclipse. During totality, try ISO 400–1600, f/5.6, exposures of 1–8 seconds on a tripod. The partially eclipsed Moon is much brighter — use shorter exposures (1/100 s) to avoid overexposure during partial phases.
The geometry of a lunar eclipse
A total lunar eclipse can only occur at full Moon when Earth, the Moon, and Sun align precisely enough for the Moon to pass through Earth's umbral shadow. Because the Moon's orbit is inclined ~5° to the ecliptic, most full Moons pass above or below the shadow — which is why eclipses are relatively rare. The physics is the same as what makes the Moon have phases: the interplay of sunlight, Earth, and the Moon's orbit.
Unlike a total solar eclipse, which is only visible from a narrow path, a lunar eclipse is visible from the entire night-side hemisphere of Earth simultaneously — making it a much more widely accessible event.