On March 3, 2026, the full “Worm Moon” will slip into Earth’s shadow and turn a copper-red for 58 minutes. This total lunar eclipse — often dubbed a “blood moon” — will be the last total lunar eclipse anywhere on Earth until New Year’s Eve 2028, and the last visible in North America until June 26, 2029. For observers in western North America, Australia, New Zealand and East Asia, this will be a prime-time celestial show. Here’s exactly when to look from every U.S. state.
Key Facts
Unlike a solar eclipse, all lunar eclipses are completely safe to watch with the naked eye. All that’s required is a clear sky and a view of the full moon as it drifts into Earth’s umbra — its dark inner shadow. When it’s completely within that shadow, totality begins.
Totality on March 3, 2026, will last 58 minutes, while the entire eclipse — including partial and penumbral phases — will span 5 hours and 38 minutes. A visualization of exactly what you’ll see from any location is available from The Eclipse App.
During totality, the only light that reaches the moon is filtered through Earth’s atmosphere. It’s effectively every sunrise and sunset on Earth projected onto the moon at once.
In North America, this will be a pre-dawn event on March 3, 2026. Observers farther west will see more of the eclipse in a darker sky. In the Eastern time zone, the moon will set during totality. Since lunar eclipses happen at the same universal time worldwide, the only difference is your local clock time — and whether the moon is above your horizon.
When Is The Total Lunar Eclipse: Eastern Time Zone
For U.S. states observing EST (Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia), here’s when the total lunar eclipse will take place:
- 1st penumbral phase: 3:44 a.m. EST on Tuesday, March 3.
- 1st partial phase: 4:50 a.m. EST.
- Totality: 6:04 a.m. EST.
Moonset is during totality.
