The full Moon in March coincides on this occasion with a total eclipse, which next Tuesday will turn our satellite red in eastern Asia, Australia, the Pacific and America.
The total eclipse will be visible at dusk in eastern Asia and Australia, throughout the night in the Pacific, and early in the morning in North America, Central America, and the western tip of South America.
The eclipse will be partial in Central Asia and much of South America, but will not be visible in Africa or Europe, NASA indicates on its website.
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth passes directly between the Sun and the Moon.
Earth’s shadow gradually moves across the lunar surface until the entire disk glows orange or red.
Then, the sequence of events unfolds in reverse order, until the shadow completely leaves the Moon and the satellite regains its full brightness. This alignment can only occur during the full moon phase, explains the American Astronomical Society (AAA).
Unlike a total solar eclipse, which can only be seen from a long, narrow strip of the Earth’s surface, This Tuesday’s phenomenon can be observed from the entire hemisphere that faces the Moon.
The Moon will first touch the pale outer edge of Earth’s shadow (penumbra), at 08:43 GMT, but this shading will likely not be evident to the naked eye until about 30 to 45 minutes later.
The totality phase will last 59 minutes, from 11:04 GMT to 12:03 GMT. During this period the Moon will be in the shadow of the Earth and will turn a coppery red color.
As the Moon emerges from the Earth’s shadow, the red color will fade and it will appear “that they are taking a bite out of the lunar disk,” explains NASA.
What draws most attention in a total lunar eclipse is its dark red or orange tone.
That light “comes from all the sunrises and sunsets that occur at that time around the edge of the Earth: the sunlight that has passed through the Earth’s atmosphere and has been refracted, or deflected, by the atmosphere towards the umbra,” the AAA says.
Unlike solar eclipses, which must be viewed with special glasses to avoid damaging your eyes, The mole can be observed with the naked eye, although it is better if you are in a dark place away from bright lights and use binoculars or a small telescope.
A total lunar eclipse also means that the constellations can be seen more easily than normal during a full Moon night, and NASA indicates that at that time our natural satellite will be in the constellation of Leo, under the hind legs of the lion.
So far this year, in addition to the lunar eclipse on Tuesday, another ring of the Sun could already be seen on the 17th, especially from Antarctica.
However, the main protagonist of 2026 will be the total solar eclipse on August 12.