Stunning Blood Moon Photos: Total Lunar Eclipse 2026 Recap

The March 3 total lunar eclipse has captivated skywatchers around the world, transforming the full moon into a breathtaking crimson spectacle. Stunning images captured from across the globe showcase the beauty of this celestial event, a result of Earth passing between the sun and moon, casting our planet’s shadow onto the lunar surface. This particular eclipse, also known as the “Worm Moon” due to its timing with the awakening of earthworms in spring, was visible across large portions of the Americas, Asia, and Oceania.

A total lunar eclipse occurs when the moon passes entirely into Earth’s umbra – the darkest part of our planet’s shadow. Unlike a solar eclipse, where the moon blocks the sun, a lunar eclipse is perfectly safe to view with the naked eye. The reddish hue, often referred to as a “blood moon,” isn’t due to a change in the moon itself, but rather the result of sunlight being filtered and refracted through Earth’s atmosphere. Shorter wavelengths of light, like blue, are scattered away, while longer wavelengths, like red and orange, are bent towards the moon, giving it that characteristic color. Earth’s atmosphere plays a crucial role in this process, acting as a lens that bends and colors the light.

Spectacular Images from Around the Globe

Photographers around the world documented the eclipse’s progress, capturing the subtle shifts in color and shadow as Earth’s umbra crept across the lunar disk. Phil Walter, photographing from Auckland, Fresh Zealand, captured the initial stages of the partial eclipse, showcasing the shadow’s first contact with the moon. It’s worth noting that images from the Southern Hemisphere appear “upside down” compared to those taken in the Northern Hemisphere, a simple matter of perspective.

A particularly striking phenomenon observed during the eclipse was the “turquoise band” – a subtle blue fringe sometimes visible along the edge of the moon during totality. This occurs when red light is scattered by ozone in Earth’s upper atmosphere, allowing some blue wavelengths to bend onto the lunar surface. Time and Date provides further explanation of this effect.

The March 3 eclipse was the last total lunar eclipse until New Year’s Eve 2028. However, skywatchers won’t have to wait long for another spectacular celestial event: a total solar eclipse will occur on August 12, 2026, with the path of totality crossing Greenland, Iceland, and Spain.