Total Lunar Eclipse 2026: Moon Will Turn Blood Red For 82 Minutes On March 3, India Visibility, Full List Of Cities To Witness The Rare Event

A total lunar eclipse is set to unfold on the night of March 2–3 and it promises to be one of the most talked-about celestial events of the year. While astronomers are still fine-tuning details like the exact length of the Moon’s deepest blood-red phase, there is broad agreement on one thing: this will be one of the most unmissable lunar eclipses of 2026. For many parts of the world, it will also be the last total lunar eclipse until the New Year’s Blood Moon of 2028–29.What Makes This Eclipse SpecialDuring totality, the Moon will pass completely into Earth’s umbra, turning a dramatic shade of red. This colour shift happens because sunlight filters through Earth’s atmosphere, scattering blue light and bending red wavelengths onto the Moon’s surface.

Some projections suggest the Moon could stay in this blood-red phase for up to 82 minutes, though most confirmed estimates place totality closer to an hour. Either way, the overall event will stretch across more than five and a half hours from start to finish. Another visual detail to watch for is the apparent rotation of the Moon’s disk and the curved shadow sliding across it, an effect caused by Earth’s rotation during the eclipse.Solar Eclipse 2026 On February 17: Will It Be Visible In India? Full List Of Cities To Witness Next Celestial EventWhere The Eclipse Will Be VisibleThis total lunar eclipse will be visible from large parts of Asia, Australia, North America and sections of South America. Cities across the United States, Canada, Southeast Asia, East Asia, and Australia will see at least part of the total phase, weather permitting. Several regions in South America and South Asia, including India, will witness a partial lunar eclipse instead.Lunar eclipses have one big advantage over solar eclipses: anyone on the night side of Earth can see them without special equipment, as long as the sky is clear.Will It Be Visible In India?For viewers in India, the event will appear as a partial lunar eclipse. In New Delhi, for instance, the eclipse will begin around 6:22 pm on March 3, reach its maximum shortly after and wrap up by about 7:53 pm. While the Moon will not turn fully red here, the partial shadowing should still be clearly visible to the naked eye.