Were you one of the millions who managed to take in the beauty of last night’s hauntingly beautiful total lunar eclipse? The celestial event, the first to be visible from the Americas since 2022, delivered on the hype: it turned the moon a ruddy red color for over an hour in the early morning hours.
Below are a collection of images captured from around the world.
How long did the total lunar eclipse last?
A lunar eclipse unfolds over a longer duration compared to its solar counterpart, with last night’s event kicking off at 11:57 p.m. EDT on March 13 and ending at 6 a.m. EDT on March 14. Totality—the stage of the eclipse where the moon enters the deepest part of the Earth’s shadow—started at 2:26 a.m. EDT and lasted for 65 minutes. It was visible from most of North America and half of South America. According to Time and Date, the entire eclipse unfolded over an estimated 863 million people from beginning to end.
When is the next lunar eclipse?
If a missed alarm or gloomy weather conspired against you, the good news is that total lunar eclipses are quite common. On Sept. 7, a lunar eclipse will be completely visible over Asia, Australia, and parts of Europe and Africa. The next chance for the Americas will be in less than a year, with the next “blood moon” slated to appear on March 3, 2026.
Murat Usubali/Getty Images
Why does a total lunar eclipse turn the moon red?
A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth aligns between the sun and moon, casting its shadow across the lunar surface. During totality, the moon gradually slips into Earth’s umbra—the darkest part of its shadow—yet never vanishes entirely. Some sunlight still reaches the lunar surface by passing through Earth’s upper atmosphere. While the shorter wavelengths (blues and violets) get scattered, the remaining reds and oranges filter through, bathing the moon in a subtle, coppery glow that’s often dubbed a “blood moon.”
