Here’s When The Next ‘Blood Moon’ Total Lunar Eclipse Is

 

The Moon in total eclipse, on January 20, 2019, in a multiple exposure composite showing the Moon moving from right to left (west to east) through the Earth's umbral shadow.

After last night’s “blood moon” seen across the Americas, everyone’s asking the same question — when is the next total lunar eclipse? Here’s everything you need to know about when a “blood moon” will be visible next time.

Key Facts

The next total lunar eclipse will occur on Sept. 7-8, 2025. However, this event will be visible primarily from parts of Asia, Australia and the Pacific, with totality — when the lunar surface turns completely red — lasting 82 minutes.

Total lunar eclipses are global events happening simultaneously, but only the night side of Earth can witness them. During all stages of the eclipse on Sept. 7-8, 2025, the Americas will be on the day-side of Earth. No part of the eclipse will be seen from North or South America.

The entire eclipse, including the penumbral and partial phases (as the full moon moves through Earth’s fuzzy outer shadow, the penumbra, and into its dark umbra), will last five hours and 27 minutes.

About 4.9 billion people will see the entire eclipse in September from beginning to end, according to Timeanddate.com, with 7.1 billion — about 87% of the world's population — seeing some of the initial phases of the eclipse.

A total lunar eclipse always occurs two weeks before or after a solar eclipse. That’s because the moon’s orbital path intersects the sun’s path through Earth’s sky (the ecliptic) twice each month. If it crosses the ecliptic as a full moon, it causes a lunar eclipse. Two weeks later, it will cross the ecliptic as a new moon, causing a solar eclipse, or vice versa.

Just as yesterday’s total lunar eclipse will be followed by a partial solar eclipse on March 29, the total lunar eclipse on Sept. 7-8 will be followed by a partial solar eclipse on Sept. 21. Both solar eclipses in 2025 are partial events.

Partial Solar Eclipse On Saturday, March 29, 2025

A partial solar eclipse across the Northern Hemisphere will occur between 08:50 and 12:43 UTC (4:50-8:43 a.m. EDT) on Saturday, March 29, 2025. It’s a mid-morning event in Europe, while in the extreme north-eastern U.S. and eastern Canada, it occurs at sunrise. The moon will block as much as 93% of the sun, but what observers see depends on the location. Solar eclipse glasses will be required at all times.

When Is The Next ‘blood Moon’ Total Lunar Eclipse Visible In North America?

For North American observers, the next fully visible total lunar eclipse will not occur until March 3-4, 2026. During this event, the entirety of the eclipse will be visible to Hawaii, Alaska and western regions of the U.S. and Canada, with totality observable in all regions except for the east coast, where a “blood moon” will occur at moonset early on March 3. Totality will last for 58 minutes.

Background

A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth is precisely between the sun and the moon, causing the full moon to travel through Earth’s shadow in space. During totality, the only sunlight reaching the lunar surface has been refracted through Earth’s atmosphere, which filters out shorter wavelengths of bluish light to leave the moon bathed in long wavelength reddish light. This dramatic event is often referred to as a “blood moon.”

Lunar eclipses follow a predictable cycle thanks to the alignment of Earth, the sun and the moon. This cycle, known as the Saros cycle, repeats every 18 years, 11 days and eight hours. Each Saros series produces a family of eclipses with similar characteristics, making it possible for astronomers to forecast future eclipses with precision.