On the night of September 7–8, the Moon will slip into Earth’s shadow, darkening and shifting from silver to red during a total lunar eclipse. While this one won’t be visible from the Americas, much of the Eastern Hemisphere will have a perfect view to see the impressively long totality lasting 82 minutes.
This will be the second lunar eclipse of 2025, and thanks to its visibility across some of the world’s most populous geographical regions, nearly 6 billion people will have front row seats to this sky show.
What happens during a lunar eclipse?
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth passes directly between the Sun and the Moon, casting its shadow across the lunar surface. As the Moon moves into the deeper, central part of Earth’s shadow, called the umbra, its familiar silvery glow shifts towards a distinctive coppery or reddish hue. Because the Moon’s orbit is tilted, lunar eclipses don’t occur every month when there is a full moon, occurring only two or three times annually, and visible only on one half of the Earth.
(Here are the phases of the moon explained.)
Why does the Moon turn red?
During totality, sunlight streaming through Earth’s atmosphere is bent and scattered, filtering out the blue light and letting the redder wavelengths shine onto the Moon. That’s why it earns the nickname “Blood Moon.” Depending on our planet’s atmospheric conditions, the shade can range from bright orange to a deep, rusty red. Predictions for this eclipse suggest a fairly bright orange-red disk since Earth’s atmosphere is relatively clear of volcanic debris and heavy dust right now.
People gather next to a telescope to watch the full moon, also known as the “Blood Moon,” in Caracas on March 14, 2025. Photograph by Juan Barreto, AFP/Getty Images
The totally eclipsed Moon glows red in November 2022, set against the stars of Aries. At the 10 o’clock position, the faint greenish light of Uranus appears just a few Moon diameters away. Composite Photograph by Alan Dyer, VWPics/Redux
What happens during a lunar eclipse?
This September’s eclipse is a total one, meaning Earth’s shadow will engulf the entire Moon. All the eclipse phases unfold over about five and a half hours.
Here are the key moments in Universal Time (UTC):
Penumbral Eclipse Begins:15:28 UTC
Partial Eclipse Begins: 16:27 UTC
Total Eclipse Begins: 17:30 UTC
Greatest Eclipse: 18:11 UTC
Total Eclipse Ends: 18:52 UTC
Partial Eclipse Ends: 19:56 UTC
Penumbral Eclipse Ends: 20:55 UTC
The absolute ‘must-see’ moments will be during the total phase when the Moon is at its deepest coloration, lasting 82 minutes, which not only gives observers lots of time to catch views, but also makes this one of the longest moments of totality of the decade.
Best places to view the eclipse
Unlike the March eclipse, this September event will be invisible across North and South America since the eclipse unfolds during their daytime hours. Instead, Asia and Western Australia will enjoy the best views of the entire eclipse from beginning to end during their overnight hours. Meanwhile, large portions of Europe and Africa will see the full moon rise soon after local sunset, with the eclipse already well underway. Thanks to its visibility across densely populated regions, the majority of the world’s population will get to witness this Blood Moon firsthand.
The Moon moves through Earth’s shadow during the August 28, 2007 total lunar eclipse, seen over the Siskiyou Mountains and Mount Shasta in southern Oregon. Composite Photograph by Sean Bagshaw, Science Photo Library
How to watch and capture the eclipse
Unlike solar eclipses, no special glasses are needed to watch a lunar eclipse. Just find a dark sky with a clear view. A smartphone or digital camera on a tripod can capture dramatic shots, especially with shorter exposure times that highlight the Moon’s details against a landscape foreground. Binoculars or small telescopes can add even more perspectives by giving you zoomed-in views, showing craters and mountains bathed in eerie reddish light.
What else to catch in the night sky
During the 82 minutes of totality, the Moon will darken enough to let the surrounding night sky come alive with stars. Keen-eyed skywatchers may notice a bright yellow-hued point of light near the Moon, which is planet Saturn. A small backyard telescope will reveal the gas giant’s famous rings, along with another very faint blue-green dot nearby that is the most distant major planet in the solar system, Neptune.
(10 night sky events to see in September.)
If you are out of luck by being clouded out or stuck on the wrong side of the Earth, check out all the celestial action online with a livestream of the lunar eclipse from various geographical locations provided by The Virtual Telescope Project.
And for those who missed out on this year’s, the next lunar eclipse will occur on March 2–3, 2026. This time it will be visible across Eastern Europe, Asia, Australia, the Americas, and even the polar regions.