It may not be as dramatic as a total solar eclipse, but there's something equally epic about watching Earth's shadow gradually engulfing and coloring the moon during a total lunar eclipse. The next total lunar eclipse — colloquially called a "blood moon" — will occur on Sept. 7-8, 2025, but it won't be another 177 days until the phenomenon is visible from parts of North America, on March 2-3, 2026.
An eclipse of the moon is a global event, happening at a specific time, and only those on the night side of Earth see it. On Sept. 7-8, North America won't be on the night side, with prime visibility limited to Africa, India, China and Australia. Western Europe will get a glimpse of the event at moonrise, but mostly misses out on the event, too. That's a shame because the Sept.7-8 total lunar eclipse will see the lunar surface turn reddish for 82 minutes, just as it did on March 13-14, 2025, when moongazers in North America were in prime position for some spectacular photos.
