Where to see the total lunar eclipse in the early hours of March 3

people stand in foreground and look at blood red moon in the sky as the total lunar eclipse takes hold. — People watching a total lunar eclipse over Melbourne, Australia July 28, 2018. (Image credit: WILLIAM WEST/AFP via Getty Images)

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Best places to see the lunar eclipse
What to expect

The first lunar eclipse of 2026 will transform the moon into a coppery red "blood moon" in the early hours of March 3 for skywatchers in North America.

The long-lasting and impressive blood moon on March 3 will be visible to billions within the path of the eclipse (weather permitting), but exactly what you'll see depends on where you are watching it from.

What is a total lunar eclipe?

A total lunar eclipse occurs when Earth sits between the moon and the sun. With the moon sitting in Earth's shadow, the only light reaching the lunar surface is filtered through Earth's atmosphere, which turns it red, earning it the name blood moon.

Best places to see the lunar eclipse

Though the blood moon total lunar eclipse will be visible across the night side of Earth on March 3, the best views will be from the western half of North America, Australia and the Pacific.

You'll have the best view if you're able to get yourself somewhere dark with clear skies.

Totality, when the moon is fully immersed in Earth's shadow, will last 58 minutes, from 6:04 a.m. EST (1104 GMT) to 7:02 a.m. EST (1202 GMT).

That translates to the following local times in North America:

Eastern time: 6:04-7:02 a.m. EST on March 3, 2026 (the moon will set during totality in the Eastern time zone)
Central time: 5:04-6:02 a.m. CST on March 3, 2026
Mountain time: 4:04-5:02 a.m. MST on March 3, 2026
Pacific time: 3:04-4:02 a.m PST on March 3, 2026
Alaska time: 2:04-3:02 a.m. AKST on March 3, 2026
Hawaii time: 1:04-2:02 a.m. HST on March 3, 2026

To find out whether the eclipse will be visible from your location, visit Time and Date, where you can enter your city to see local visibility details and exact timings. In New York, for example, observers will see the moon slip into totality and turn blood red but maximum eclipse, when the moon moves deepest into Earth's shadow, will occur after moonset and won't be visible.

What to expect

Unlike solar eclipses, lunar eclipses are completely safe to watch with the naked eye. When the eclipse unfolds, you'll gradually see the shift from a bright silver moon to a deep red as Earth's shadow sweeps across it. It's like watching all the phases of the moon at high speed!

Daisy Dobrijevic joined Space.com in February 2022, having previously worked as a staff writer for All About Space magazine. She completed an editorial internship with BBC Sky at Night Magazine and worked at the National Space Centre, communicating space science to the public.

Daisy holds a PhD in plant physiology and a Master's in Environmental Science. Based in Nottingham, U.K., she covers all things space, with a special focus on solar activity and space weather. She also has a keen interest in astrotourism and is always on the lookout for the next northern lights adventure.

She will be a guest speaker aboard HX's Solar Eclipse Expedition in August 2026 and will join Hurtigruten as an onboard astronomer for a northern lights sailing in January 2027.