logo
This Week's Total Lunar Eclipse Will Reveal a ‘Blood Moon'—Here's How to See It

This Week's Total Lunar Eclipse Will Reveal a ‘Blood Moon'—Here's How to See It

Yahoo10-03-2025

Guang Cao/Getty
This week, on the evening of March 13 and into the morning of March 14, the moon will slide into Earth's shadow, creating a wondrous and graceful event: a total lunar eclipse. The whole show, over three hours long, will be visible across almost the entirety of North America, Central America, and most of South America. From western Africa the moon will set while still eclipsed, and in extreme eastern Russia the moon will rise already in eclipse.
One great aspect of a lunar eclipse is that you don't need a telescope or binoculars to see it; just your eyes and a clear night sky. You don't even necessarily need to leave the city to see it, though when fully eclipsed the dark moon might be hard to spot if there is too much light pollution. If you do have astronomical equipment on hand it will certainly enhance your enjoyment, since you'll get a close-up view of what's transpiring. In order to best appreciate the cosmic show, it's helpful to understand the fascinating science behind a lunar eclipse (including why the moon appears red, a phenomenon also known as a 'blood moon"). Below, we break down exactly what you'll be able to see in the night sky come Thursday evening—all you have to do is look up.
Meet the author: Dr. Phil Plait is an astronomer, author, and science communicator with a PhD in astronomy at the University of Virginia. He has written four books on astronomy and consulted on space TV shows and movies, including the 2016 hit, Arrival. He was also the head science writer for the first season of Bill Nye Saves the World on Netflix.
It's a bit odd to think of Earth having a shadow, since there's nothing in space for it to be cast upon. However, a shadow is just where an object is blocking a source of light, so if you're in a spot in space exactly behind Earth with respect to the Sun, the solid body of our planet obstructs our star. You'd be in shadow.
A total lunar eclipse is a relatively rare astronomical event because the moon usually passes above or below Earth's shadow in the sky due to the tilt of its orbit. But once or twice a year the heavens literally align and the moon moves directly into that region of space.
The Earth is round, so we see it casting a circular shadow on the moon. As the moon orbits Earth, one edge of the moon's disk appears to darken when it enters Earth's shadow—we call this the beginning of the partial eclipse—and over a few minutes that spot grows into an arc, a dark circular segment that moves over the lunar landscape. It continues to swallow the moon, which eventually becomes a crescent shape, until, finally, the entirety of the moon is in Earth's shadow, which we call totality.
Totality can last for well over an hour, depending on how deeply the moon penetrates into Earth's shadow. This is the phase of the lunar eclipse you don't want to miss—at this time, an amazing thing happens: the normally somewhat colorless moon doesn't appear completely dark, but instead orange or even blood red. That's why lunar eclipses are sometimes called 'blood moons.'
Why does this happen? ​Earth's atmosphere is a spherical shell surrounding our planet. When you look straight up you're looking through roughly 100 kilometers of air, but when you look to the horizon that line of sight is far longer, closer to 1,000 kilometers. As sunlight passes through Earth's air, the atmosphere blocks or scatters bluer light; the farther the distance the sunlight has to travel through Earth's atmosphere, the more red it appears. For example, near sunset or sunrise, the light is traveling through ​t​hat longer path of air to reach your eye, making the sun ​look very red when it's near the horizon. From the moon, ​our atmosphere appears as a ring around ​Earth, and during an eclipse, when the sun, moon, and Earth are aligned, sunlight has to travel all the way through that thick layer of atmosphere surrounding the planet. From the moon's viewpoint, it's seeing all the sunrises and sunsets on Earth simultaneously! That means the sunlight reflected by the moon is highly reddened, giving the moon its eerie hue during totality.
The moon continues to move in its orbit, of course, so eventually it begins to move out of the shadow. Totality ends, and the partial phase then moves in reverse to what it did before: the last part of the moon to be covered is the first to be uncovered, until finally the moon is once again outside of Earth's shadow.
You may notice a slight darkening to the moon even before the partial phase begins. There's an outer portion of Earth's shadow, called the penumbra, where the sun is only partially blocked from the moon. It's difficult to see at first, but deepens as the moon moves farther into it. The darkest part of Earth's shadow, where the sun is completely blocked, is called the umbra.
Because this event happens in space, everyone on the side of Earth facing it sees it at the same time. The actual time you see on the clock depends on your location; here are the times in Coordinated Universal Time (or UTC) to the nearest minute. Converters to your local time zone are available online.
Penumbral begins: 03:57
Partial begins: 05:09
Totality begins: 06:26
Totality ends: 07:32
Partial ends: 08:48
Penumbral ends: 10:00
Note that these UTC times are for March 14; for most places where the eclipse is visible this means it starts on the evening of March 13 (for example, the US east coast is UTC-4 hours so it starts at 11:57 p.m. March 13).
Clear skies will certainly aid your sighting, but if you miss it, don't fret: the next total lunar eclipse is in March 2026, visible over Europe and Africa. It may very well be worth the trip.
Originally Appeared on Condé Nast Traveler
The Latest Travel News and Advice
Want to be the first to know? Sign up to our newsletters for travel inspiration and tips
These Are the World's Most Powerful Passports in 2024
Are Gate Lice Soon to Be Exterminated?
The Friendliest Cities in the US, According to Our Readers

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

New exhibit examines coal dust pollution in Newport News
New exhibit examines coal dust pollution in Newport News

Yahoo

time35 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

New exhibit examines coal dust pollution in Newport News

Environmental studies have yet to directly link Newport News residents' health problems with coal dust pollution the community has spent generations advocating against. An exhibition opening Thursday is presenting its own evidence. Local nonprofit EmPower All is collaborating with The Repair Lab, an environmental justice research lab out of the University of Virginia, to present 'Evidence: Coal Dust in Hampton Roads.' The exhibition will have an opening reception Thursday evening at the Downing-Gross Cultural Arts Center. The exhibit features data and archival evidence, including photos and newspaper articles dating back to the 1920s, detailing local coal dust pollution, along with a civic engagement workshop and representative air quality monitors. Adrian Wood, a multimedia producer with the Repair Lab, said the exhibition is the culmination of research to find residents' stories, including tenants unions fighting to install sprinkler systems in the 1980s — to tamp down coal dust in rail cars — and the first recorded local air quality studies in the 1950s. 'The exhibit is a collection of all the work that came before us,' Wood said. 'I have worked to gather these materials, but it really represents a lot of work that's very wide-ranging, mostly done by the residents of Southeast Newport News.' Coal dust has been a longstanding issue for Newport News, particularly the Southeast community. Kinder Morgan and Dominion Terminal Associates have some of the largest coal terminals in the country near the neighborhoods, terminals that have operated since the 1880s. Previous environmental studies focused around coal terminals in Norfolk have not linked coal dust pollution to community health issues. However, a 2005 study showed the Southeast community's asthma rates were more than double city and state averages. Additionally, Newport News ranked ninth in the state for the most asthma hospitalizations in 2023. Yugonda Sample-Jones, a resident of the Southeast community who is CEO of EmPower All, said continued academic research is proving what her community has known for decades. Coal dust continues to plague Newport News and Norfolk communities. Residents are skeptical change will come. Newport News not selected for $20 million grant to address coal dust, will explore other options 'Extremely distressing' Chesapeake Bay blue crab populations call for curtailing harvest, experts say 'We know what has been done to our health, who has died from this pollution and what things have been done in the past,' Sample-Jones said. The state Department of Environmental Quality is conducting an air quality monitoring study that will run through late 2026, but the city recently lost out on a $20 million federal grant to address local coal dust pollution. Despite the setbacks, Newport News spokesperson Kimberly Bracy said, the city remains committed to finding solutions to mitigate coal dust pollution. Lathaniel Kirts knew the dangers of coal dust pollution when he lived in Norfolk before seeing the same thing when he moved across the water in 2019. 'You normalize it,' said Kirts, who helped facilitate the exhibit with Repair Lab and will assist in Thursday's civic engagement workshop. 'But then you realize that that is environmental injustice right in plain sight.' It can be easy for outsiders to ignore the problem if their house isn't covered in dust or their loved one isn't hospitalized from air pollution, said Kirts, who lives next to the Southeast community. However, Southeast is a predominantly Black and low-income community, and Kirts said part of fighting environmental injustice means sharing the stories of those who have been ignored for years. 'So many times, racism is silent, oppression is quiet, but it's so deadly. And that's what coal dust is,' Kirts said. 'It's a silent and physical force that invades us, and then slowly oppresses and kills us. What we're trying to do is highlight those voices in this exhibit to show what's been happening.' Devlin Epding, 757-510-4037, When: Opening reception, 5:30-8 p.m. Thursday. Exhibit, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays; closed Sundays. Through July 9. Where: Downing-Gross Cultural Arts Center, 2410 Wickham Ave., Newport News Tickets: Free Details: 757-247-8950

New exhibit examines coal dust pollution in Newport News
New exhibit examines coal dust pollution in Newport News

Yahoo

time2 hours ago

  • Yahoo

New exhibit examines coal dust pollution in Newport News

Environmental studies have yet to directly link Newport News residents' health problems with coal dust pollution the community has spent generations advocating against. An exhibition opening Thursday is presenting its own evidence. Local nonprofit EmPower All is collaborating with The Repair Lab, an environmental justice research lab out of the University of Virginia, to present 'Evidence: Coal Dust in Hampton Roads.' The exhibition will have an opening reception Thursday evening at the Downing-Gross Cultural Arts Center. The exhibit features data and archival evidence, including photos and newspaper articles dating back to the 1920s, detailing local coal dust pollution, along with a civic engagement workshop and representative air quality monitors. Adrian Wood, a multimedia producer with the Repair Lab, said the exhibition is the culmination of research to find residents' stories, including tenants unions fighting to install sprinkler systems in the 1980s — to tamp down coal dust in rail cars — and the first recorded local air quality studies in the 1950s. 'The exhibit is a collection of all the work that came before us,' Wood said. 'I have worked to gather these materials, but it really represents a lot of work that's very wide-ranging, mostly done by the residents of Southeast Newport News.' Coal dust has been a longstanding issue for Newport News, particularly the Southeast community. Kinder Morgan and Dominion Terminal Associates have some of the largest coal terminals in the country near the neighborhoods, terminals that have operated since the 1880s. Previous environmental studies focused around coal terminals in Norfolk have not linked coal dust pollution to community health issues. However, a 2005 study showed the Southeast community's asthma rates were more than double city and state averages. Additionally, Newport News ranked ninth in the state for the most asthma hospitalizations in 2023. Yugonda Sample-Jones, a resident of the Southeast community who is CEO of EmPower All, said continued academic research is proving what her community has known for decades. Coal dust continues to plague Newport News and Norfolk communities. Residents are skeptical change will come. Newport News not selected for $20 million grant to address coal dust, will explore other options 'Extremely distressing' Chesapeake Bay blue crab populations call for curtailing harvest, experts say 'We know what has been done to our health, who has died from this pollution and what things have been done in the past,' Sample-Jones said. The state Department of Environmental Quality is conducting an air quality monitoring study that will run through late 2026, but the city recently lost out on a $20 million federal grant to address local coal dust pollution. Despite the setbacks, Newport News spokesperson Kimberly Bracy said, the city remains committed to finding solutions to mitigate coal dust pollution. Lathaniel Kirts knew the dangers of coal dust pollution when he lived in Norfolk before seeing the same thing when he moved across the water in 2019. 'You normalize it,' said Kirts, who helped facilitate the exhibit with Repair Lab and will assist in Thursday's civic engagement workshop. 'But then you realize that that is environmental injustice right in plain sight.' It can be easy for outsiders to ignore the problem if their house isn't covered in dust or their loved one isn't hospitalized from air pollution, said Kirts, who lives next to the Southeast community. However, Southeast is a predominantly Black and low-income community, and Kirts said part of fighting environmental injustice means sharing the stories of those who have been ignored for years. 'So many times, racism is silent, oppression is quiet, but it's so deadly. And that's what coal dust is,' Kirts said. 'It's a silent and physical force that invades us, and then slowly oppresses and kills us. What we're trying to do is highlight those voices in this exhibit to show what's been happening.' Devlin Epding, 757-510-4037, When: Opening reception, 5:30-8 p.m. Thursday. Exhibit, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays; closed Sundays. Through July 9. Where: Downing-Gross Cultural Arts Center, 2410 Wickham Ave., Newport News Tickets: Free Details: 757-247-8950

Mia Goth Teases Guillermo del Toro's FRANKENSTEIN: 'People Are Going to Love How Epic it Is" — GeekTyrant
Mia Goth Teases Guillermo del Toro's FRANKENSTEIN: 'People Are Going to Love How Epic it Is" — GeekTyrant

Geek Tyrant

time3 hours ago

  • Geek Tyrant

Mia Goth Teases Guillermo del Toro's FRANKENSTEIN: 'People Are Going to Love How Epic it Is" — GeekTyrant

Guillermo del Toro's long-gestating Frankenstein is finally happening, and if you've been waiting for a version that honors the emotional weight and gothic grandeur of Mary Shelley's original novel, Mia Goth says you're in for something special. Goth, who plays Elizabeth Lavenza in the film, shared some insight during a red carpet chat with Entertainment Tonight at Netflix's TUDUM 2025 event. Her comments tease a film that is dark and dramatic, but also deeply human and visually massive. 'I think people are going to love how epic it is, and the scale of it, it's such a feast. But I think they will also be incredibly moved by it and maybe surprised by how much heart went into this. It's a lifelong project for Guillermo.' Del Toro's passion for Frankenstein is strong. Back in 2007, he said that he 'would kill to make' a faithful 'Miltonian tragedy' version of Shelley's novel. He's been dreaming of it for years, and now, thanks to Netflix, it's finally coming. The cast features Jacob Elordi takes on the iconic role of the monster, a transformation that left Goth floored: she says she was 'totally amazed' and 'just in awe.' Elordi is stepping into the shoes of one of horror's most misunderstood figures, and it sounds like he's doing so with style. Meanwhile, Oscar Isaac plays Victor Frankenstein, and Christoph Waltz appears in an as-yet-unnamed but reportedly key role. While Frankenstein has been adapted countless times over the last century, from Karloff's legendary performance to more stylized or sci-fi-heavy interpretations, this version promises a return to the emotional and philosophical core of Shelley's 1818 novel. Goth's comments on the film's emphasis on heart, is what separates Del Toro's monster tales from the rest… his creatures are rarely just creatures. They're metaphors, they're misunderstood, and they're always more than they appear. Frankenstein is set to premiere on Netflix in November 2025, and I'm incredibly excited about seeing Del Toro's vision for this story.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store