If the skies cooperate early Tuesday morning, March 3, you’re in for a treat. Everyone across the contiguous United States gets a front-row seat to a total lunar eclipse, better known as a blood moon.
What’s happening? The Moon slips into Earth’s shadow and, instead of disappearing, it takes on that deep copper-red glow. The best part is that totality lasts just under an hour, and the only ticket you need is an early alarm. Totality runs from 5:04 a.m. to 6:03 a.m. Central Time.
Here in Houston, the partial eclipse begins at 3:50 a.m. and continues until the Moon sets at 6:48 a.m. During the partial phase, the Moon moves into Earth’s penumbra,, which in Latin means “almost shadow.”
One more cool detail, this won’t be a perfectly centered eclipse. The Moon passes through the southern half of Earth’s shadow, so during totality, the southern portion of the Moon will look noticeably brighter than the rest.
Scroll down for a look at the eclipse timing graphic for Texas and don’t hit the snooze button. If your morning commute has you on the road at 5:00 a.m., make sure you find the moon in the western sky. It will make for a cool ride to work.
Why does the moon turn red?
When the eclipse reaches totality, the full Moon slides into Earth’s umbra, the darkest part of our planet’s shadow (umbra is Latin for “shadow”). That means direct sunlight is blocked.
But the Moon doesn’t disappear. Instead, it turns red and Earth is the reason why.
Here’s the cool part: sunlight bends as it passes through Earth’s atmosphere. Along the way, the blues and purples get scattered out, while the reds and oranges make it through. That filtered light then spills onto the Moon, giving it that copper-red glow we call a blood moon.
Exactly how red the Moon looks can change from eclipse to eclipse. Two things matter most: how cloudy Earth’s atmosphere is at the time, and how much volcanic dust is floating around high in the stratosphere. The good news? There haven’t been any major volcanic eruptions in the past couple of years, so this one should be moderately bright rather than super dark.
Here’s something cool to think about: if you were standing on the Moon during this eclipse and looked back at Earth, you’d see every sunrise and sunset on the planet happening at the same time. How cool is that?
How to view the lunar eclipse:
To watch the total lunar eclipse, all you really have to do is be awake and look up. No special equipment and no apps required. While some amazing photographers will be outside capturing time-lapses for the full three hours, you definitely don’t need to stay out that long.
If you can only pick one moment to check it out, make it 5:34 a.m. That’s the midpoint of the eclipse, when the Moon will be at its brightest and deepest red. Look toward the western horizon.
Got binoculars or a telescope? Even better. They’ll make the view more dramatic, but they’re absolutely optional, the eclipse will still be impressive with just your eyes.
Since this article is being posted a week ahead of the eclipse, we don’t yet have an exact cloud forecast for the morning of March 3. That’s where the KPRC 2 Weather Team comes in, we’ll be tracking the forecast and keeping you updated as we get closer.
And if you snap a great photo, send it our way at click2pins.com. The image you see here was shared with us after the November 8, 2022, lunar eclipse and we’d love to see what you capture this time.
Some of my favorite blood moon photos:
My all-time favorite lunar eclipse photo was taken by professional photographer Mike Mezeul on April 14, 2014, and honestly, it doesn’t get much better than this. What makes the shot absolutely perfect is the foreground: classic Texas bluebonnets in full bloom.
The time-lapse captures every phase of the eclipse, from start to finish, with the Moon glowing a deep, rich red during totality. It’s one of those images that makes you stop and stare, truly breathtaking.
I loved it so much that I bought the print, and it now sits on my desk at work.
As the Moon slips into Earth’s shadow, there’s a subtle but amazing detail you can actually see: the curve of our planet projected onto the lunar surface. Greek astronomers noticed this as far back as the 5th century BC and used it as proof that Earth is round. After all, only a spherical object casts the same perfectly curved shadow every single time.
Below is a time-lapse from the May 16, 2022, lunar eclipse, captured by photographer Sergio Garcia Rill at the San Jacinto Monument in La Porte, Texas. The image beautifully walks you through each phase of the eclipse, from the first bite out of the Moon to totality and back again.
It’s a stunning reminder that sometimes the sky isn’t just putting on a show, it’s also quietly proving a few things we figured out more than 2,000 years ago.
This is a photo I took of the total lunar eclipse on November 19, 2021, at KPRC 2. It’s a great example of how mobile phones often struggle to capture the true beauty of the event.
It’s going to be a while before we get another chance to see a blood moon like this in the United States. After Tuesday’s eclipse, the next one won’t arrive until June 26, 2029. That makes this a rare sky show, one of those moments where it’s worth setting the alarm, stepping outside, and taking it all in. For a little while before sunrise, the Moon, Earth, and Sun line up just right and put on a show just for us.