(NewsNation) — Americans will have a chance to view a total lunar eclipse Thursday night, resulting in a red “blood moon.”
From the late hours of March 13, 2025, to the early hours of March 14, Americans will have the first chance in nearly three years to see the celestial spectacle.
Lunar eclipses happen when the Earth passes between the sun and the moon. As the Earth blocks the sun’s light, the moon will appear to be a dark reddish-orange color, which has led to it being called a “blood moon.”
The next lunar eclipse won’t be visible in the U.S. until 2026.
All U.S. states will have some ability to see the eclipse, but parts of Alaska will miss the beginning phases. Parts of Western Europe, Africa, Asia and the Pacific region will also be able to see the lunar eclipse.
The eclipse will begin around 11:57 p.m. EDT with the penumbral phase, when the moon begins to pass through the outer part of Earth’s shadow. Totality, which is when the “blood moon” will be visible, will happen at 2:26 a.m. EDT on Friday.
To view the eclipse, head outside to as dark of an area as possible. Unlike the solar eclipse, it’s safe to look at a lunar eclipse without any special glasses.
Where to see the eclipse based on your time zone?
Here’s when the totality will occur for each time zone:
- Eastern Time: 2:26 a.m. to 3:32 a.m. Friday
- Central Time: 1:26 a.m. to 2:32 a.m. Friday
- Mountain Time: 12:26 a.m. to 1:32 a.m. Friday
- Pacific Time: 11:26 p.m. Thursday to 12:32 a.m. Friday
- Alaska: 10:26 p.m. to 11:32 p.m. Thursday
- Hawaii: 8:26 p.m. to 9:32 p.m. Thursday