How to Watch Blood Moon From U.S. on March 13

It’s the vampires’ favorite night of the year! That’s my attempt at a joke about the upcoming “Blood Moon” in March, and yes, I know it’s bad.

Whether you laughed or not, it’s an exciting time to be gazing at the sky. Although the phenomenon is colloquially called a Blood Moon—because it makes the Moon appear red—it’s officially known as a total lunar eclipse. The last total lunar eclipse was in 2022, so rest assured that it’s definitely worth your time. Here’s what you need to know.

What is a total lunar eclipse? As explained by NASA, a total lunar eclipse occurs when the Sun, Earth, and Moon line up. When this happens, the entire Moon falls within the darkest part of our planet’s shadow, called the umbra. Interestingly, when the Moon is in the umbra, it takes on a reddish-orange color.

But why? Essentially, it has to do with how light travels to get to Earth.

“During a lunar eclipse, the Moon appears red or orange because any sunlight that's not blocked by our planet is filtered through a thick slice of Earth’s atmosphere on its way to the lunar surface,” NASA says. “It’s as if all the world’s sunrises and sunsets are projected onto the Moon.”

When and where can I see the Blood Moon? The Blood Moon will be visible for people located in North America, South America, and places on the Pacific Ocean. The show gets started a little late and will last about six hours. NASA lays out the following key times to keep in mind:

11:57 p.m. ET: The Moon begins to dim.
1:09 a.m. ET: A partial eclipse begins. At this point, it looks like someone took a bite out of the Moon.
2:26 a.m. ET: The entire Moon is in the darkest part of the Earth’s shadow, called the Umbra. It appears red.
3:31 a.m. ET: The Moon begins to retreat from the umbra, which makes it look like someone took a bite out of the other side of the satellite.
4:47 a.m. ET: The Moon begins to dim again.
6:00 a.m. ET: The eclipse ends.

A Blood Moon viewed from Regensberg Castle near Zurich, Switzerland in 2018.

Are there any safety precautions I should take? Unlike a solar eclipse, which involves looking at the Sun and requires special eye protection, viewing a lunar eclipse is chill. It’s safe to look at our neighboring satellite during the entire total lunar eclipse without any special accessories.

You’d Need to Detonate the Earth’s Nuclear Arsenal 130 Times to Release the Same Amount of Energy That Created the Moon’s Great Canyons

How to Watch Blood Moon From U.S. on March 13

The Moon will briefly turn red for a few hours on March 13-14. Colloquially known as a “Blood Moon,” it’s officially called a Total Lunar Eclipse.

People located in North America, South America, and places on the Pacific Ocean will get the best views.

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