On the night of Sunday, September 7 into the morning of September 8, the sky will treat the majority of the world to a total lunar eclipse, also known as a “blood moon.” For more than an hour, the full moon will slip into Earth’s shadow and glow a deep, coppery red. Roughly 85% of the world’s population will have a chance to see the total eclipse, making this one of the most widely visible celestial events of the year. Below, we break down where and when you can experience the astronomical phenomenon this weekend. (For the astrologically curious, our September 2025 horoscope dives into how eclipse season could shake up your travels this month.)
What is a total lunar eclipse?
A total lunar eclipse occurs when the moon passes through the Earth’s shadow, or umbra, turning its luminous silvery-white surface a deep orange-red. Lunar eclipses only happen when the sun, Earth, and moon are aligned just right—the Earth has to pass directly between the sun and the moon. This doesn’t happen every month because the moon’s orbit is tilted.
Lunar eclipses have multiple phases. Up first is the penumbral eclipse, when the moon moves into the faint outer shadow of the Earth, called the penumbra. During this phase, the moon’s surface dims only slightly. Once the moon reaches the umbra, or the denser part of the Earth’s shadow, it becomes a partial eclipse—this is when the coppery-red hue creeps onto the surface of the moon, slowly “consuming” the full circle. Once the entire moon is covered by the umbra, the eclipse becomes a total eclipse.
An interesting quirk about lunar eclipses is that they only occur during full moons, due to the specific alignment necessary for the phenomenon. The Sept. 7-8 total lunar eclipse will happen during the full “corn” moon, a nickname that comes from the Farmer’s Almanac, which names moons based on Native American traditions. Thus, September’s moon derives its name from the seasonal corn harvest.
There’s plenty of sightseeing to do in the sky, too.
When and where can I see the eclipse?
Most of the world’s population will be able to see the Sept. 7-8 total lunar eclipse. Viewers across Eastern Africa, most of Asia, the western half of Australia, and East Antarctica will be able to see the entirety of the eclipse, from the penumbral phase to totality and back again. Regions to the east and west of this zone—including Europe, the rest of Africa, and the rest of Australia—will see at least part of the eclipse. Unfortunately, if you live in the Americas, you’re out of luck. The eclipse will occur during daylight hours here, so it won’t be visible.
As for timing, totality during the Sept. 7-8 eclipse is especially long-lasting—the moon will remain darkened for 82 minutes—while the whole eclipse will last nearly 5.5 hours. The below chart shares the times of each phase of the eclipse.
Be sure to convert UTC to your time zone. You can use sites like TimeAndDate.com, which also has a very handy eclipse page to help you figure out what’s visible in your location and when.
In order to see the eclipse, all you have to do is look at the moon; no telescopes, binoculars, or special glasses are needed. (Solar eclipses, on the other hand, must only be viewed with eye protection.)
Why is it called a “blood moon”?
During totality, the moon takes on a coppery red hue—that’s why some refer to it as a “blood moon.” This color change happens because sunlight passes through Earth’s atmosphere before reaching the moon. The atmosphere scatters shorter wavelengths of light, such as blues and greens, while allowing longer red wavelengths to filter through. It’s the same reason sunrises and sunsets take on warm-toned colors.
When is the next total lunar eclipse?
The next total lunar eclipse will happen on March 2–3, 2026, and it will be visible across North America, the Pacific Islands, Australia and New Zealand, and East Asia. During this eclipse, totality will last 58 minutes.