It may not be as dramatic as a solar eclipse, but there’s something epic about watching Earth’s shadow gradually engulf and redden the moon during a total lunar eclipse. The next blood moon will occur on Sept. 7-8, 2025, but it won’t be visible from North America.
On that date, prime visibility will be limited to Africa, India, China, and Australia, with only partial views at moonrise in Western Europe. North America will miss the event completely, despite the reddish lunar spectacle lasting 82 minutes.
Exactly one lunar year later, on March 2-3, 2026, another blood moon will occur and this time North America will be in prime viewing position. The eclipse will last 58 minutes and be visible from North America, Australia, and East Asia, though the epicenter will be above the Pacific Ocean.
Visibility will vary across the continent. New York will see only brief totality at moonset, while the Midwest experiences totality close to moonset. Only areas west of Kansas will see the moon higher in the sky during totality. On the West Coast — including California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and British Columbia — all stages of the eclipse will be visible high overhead.
For the best experience, clear skies matter. In March, the most reliable viewing spots include the desert southwest — southern California, Arizona, New Mexico — as well as Hawaii, according to Time and Date data.
The March 2-3, 2026 blood moon marks the third in a row within one lunar year. These eclipses often come in triads, paired with solar eclipses two weeks before or after. In this case, it follows an annular solar eclipse on Feb. 17, 2026, when 96% of the sun’s disk will be blocked for 2 minutes 20 seconds, though only visible from Antarctica.
