When was the last total lunar eclipse? Hint: It's been years!
It has been nearly three years since the last total lunar eclipse.
The phenomenon occurs when the moon and the sun are on exact opposite sides of Earth, according to NASA. When this happens, Earth blocks sunlight that normally reaches the moon.
Instead of that sunlight hitting the moon's surface, Earth's shadow falls on it.
Total lunar eclipses are often called a "blood moon" because of its tendency to turn red when covered by the Earth's shadow.
Here's a look back at the last total lunar eclipse, and how celestial fans can see the next one.
The last total lunar eclipse took place on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022. It marked the first Election Day total lunar eclipse in U.S. history, according to EarthSky.org
The phenomenon was also visible in Asia, Australia and the Pacific, according to the website.
The upcoming total lunar eclipse occurs March 13-14.
The website Time and Date predicts the moon will complete all of the eclipse phases in 6 hours, 3 minutes.
If you live in the U.S., the eclipse should begin around 11:57 p.m. EST on Thursday, March 13, reach totality around 2:30 a.m. EST and complete the process around 6 a.m. EST Friday, March 14.
The total lunar eclipse will be visible in North America, South America, western parts of Europe and Africa on Thursday, March 13 into Friday, March 14.
According to NASA, another total lunar eclipse won't be visible in the U.S. until March 2026.
The next Election Day lunar eclipse will take place in 372 years, on Nov. 8, 2394.
Contributing: Janet Loehrke
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: When was the last total lunar eclipse? See 2022 'blood moon'
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