March 2025 Total Lunar Eclipse guide: visibility, timings & observation tips
04 Mar. 2025
On the night of March 13 to 14, 2025, a total lunar eclipse will take place. It will be perfectly visible from the United States. While the phenomenon can be observed with the naked eye, Hestia will be the ideal instrument to track the eclipse’s progression and capture detailed images effortlessly. In this article, discover everything you need to know to understand this astronomical event and learn when and how to observe it.
What is a Lunar Eclipse?
The Moon orbits the Earth in a little over 27 days. Under certain specific conditions, the Sun, Earth, and Moon align perfectly, with our planet positioned between the Sun and the Moon. As a result, the Moon enters the Earth's shadow and is no longer directly illuminated by the Sun—this is a lunar eclipse.
- If the alignment is perfect, the entire Moon is plunged into Earth's shadow: this is a total eclipse.
- If the alignment is slightly off, only part of the Moon enters the Earth's shadow: this results in a partial eclipse.
When and how often do lunar eclipses occur?
Although the Moon reaches its full phase every 29 days, lunar eclipses do not happen every month. This is because the Moon’s orbit is inclined by about 5° relative to Earth’s orbit. Most of the time, the Moon simply passes above or below Earth’s shadow.
Lunar eclipses occur around the equinoxes (March and September), when alignment conditions are more favorable. Additionally, a solar eclipse always takes place about two weeks before or after a lunar eclipse. Thus, on March 29, 2025, a partial solar eclipse will occur.
At least two lunar eclipses happen each year, with a maximum of five (though this is extremely rare). However, most of these are only partial eclipses. A total lunar eclipse visible from the same location remains an uncommon event.
Upcoming lunar eclipses after March 14, 2025
September 8, 2025 (Total)
2026: One total eclipse
2027: One partial eclipse, no total eclipse.
What can you observe during a lunar eclipse?
A lunar eclipse unfolds over several hours. As time progresses, the Moon gradually enters Earth's shadow. As long as it is not completely immersed, the eclipse remains partial. Therefore, all total lunar eclipses begin and end with a partial phase.
Moon's journey through Earth's shadow during the total eclipse on April 14, 2025 - from right to left.
Key stages of the eclipse
- Penumbral entry -The Moon starts receiving less sunlight, but the dimming is barely noticeable.
- Beginning of the partial eclipse -Part of the Moon enters the Earth's shadow, appearing as a growing dark area on the lunar disk.
- Beginning of the total eclipse -The entire Moon is now within Earth's shadow, taking on a reddish hue.
- Eclipse maximum -The Moon reaches the center of Earth's shadow, offering the most dramatic view.
- End of totality -The Moon begins to emerge from Earth's shadow, gradually regaining its natural brightness.
- End of partial eclipse -The moon leaves Earth's shadow
- End of the partial and penumbral eclipse – The event concludes completely.
Why does the Moon turn red during a total lunar eclipse?
During a total lunar eclipse, the Earth blocks direct sunlight from reaching the Moon. However, the Moon does not vanish completely; instead, it takes on a reddish-orange hue, which can sometimes appear very dark.
This effect is due to Earth’s atmosphere, which scatters and refracts sunlight.
Although sunlight appears white, it actually contains multiple colors, as seen in rainbows. The blue and violet components are more strongly scattered by the atmosphere—this is why the sky appears blue during the day.
When sunlight passes through a greater thickness of the atmosphere, such as during sunrise or sunset, blue, green, and yellow light are gradually scattered and absorbed, leaving mainly red light.
During a lunar eclipse, this red light is refracted by the Earth's atmosphere and projected into its shadow, illuminating the Moon. Instead of disappearing, the Moon takes on a coppery-red color, sometimes very dark. The atmosphere acts like a natural lens, bending the last rays of sunlight toward the Moon.
Where and when to observe the March 14, 2025 eclipse?
The visibility of the lunar eclipse depends on your location. To observe it, you must be on the nighttime side of the Earth at the time of the event. The table below provides the timings for each phase of the eclipse according to your position.
- From North and South America, the entire total phase will be visible.
- In the United States, conditions will be ideal for observing the full event—weather permitting. Local time of the eclipse depends on the time zone:
- On the West Coast, the total phase will begin before midnight on March 13.
- On the East Coast, the total phase will start shortly after midnight on March 14.
- In Western Europe and West Africa, only the first part of the eclipse will be visible. On the morning of March 14, just before sunrise, the partial phase will be visible, but the Moon will be very low on the horizon.
- In New Zealand, the end of the eclipse will be observable. On March 14, just after sunset and moonrise, the Moon will emerge from Earth's shadow. Again, it will be very low on the horizon.
- In the rest of the world, the eclipse will not be visible
Observing the eclipse with Hestia
Hestia is the perfect instrument to track the eclipse in real-time on your smartphone, observe the shadow’s progression, and capture images of the event.
Tips for observing with Hestia:
- Before the eclipse begins, ensure your smartphone is properly positioned and aligned with Hestia.
- Activate lunar observation mode and adjust the exposure manually.
- The Moon’s brightness changes significantly throughout the eclipse. To get the best images, adjust exposure settings accordingly.
Fortunately, lunar eclipses last for hours, giving you plenty of time to experiment with different settings and optimize your photos.
Eclipse timings – March 14, 2025 (UTC Time)
The table below shows the eclipse timings in Universal Time (UTC), which corresponds to Greenwich Mean Time. To determine the local time at your observation location, apply your time zone offset as well as any daylight saving time adjustment.
To convert these times to your local time, you can use the following website: https://savvytime.com/converter/utc.
| Time (UTC) | |
|---|---|
| 03:58 | Penumbral entry |
| 05:10 | Partial eclipse begins |
| 06:26 | Total eclipse begins |
| 06:59 | Maximum eclipse |
| 07:31 | Total eclipse ends |
| 08:48 | Partial eclipse ends |
| 10:00 | End of the phenomenon |