March 2026 lunar eclipse explained

bgcolor=#e7dcc3 colspan=2Total lunar eclipse
3 March 2026
align=center colspan=2Ecliptic north up

The Moon will pass west to east (right to left) through the Earth's shadow.
align=center bgcolor=#c0d0e0133 (27 of 71)
align=center bgcolor=#c0d0e0-0.3765
align=center bgcolor=#c0d0e01.1507
align=center bgcolor=#c0b0e0 colspan=2Duration (hr:mn:sc)
align=center bgcolor=#b0a0e0 Totality 0:58:19
align=center bgcolor=#c0a0e0 Partial 3:27:10
align=center bgcolor=#d0d0e0 Penumbral 5:38:37
align=center bgcolor=#a0d0e0 colspan=2Contacts (UTC)
align=center bgcolor=#d0d0e0 P1 8:44:22
align=center bgcolor=#c0a0e0 U1 9:50:00
align=center bgcolor=#b0a0e0 U2 11:04:26
align=center bgcolor=#a0a0e0Greatest 11:33:37
align=center bgcolor=#b0a0e0 U3 12:02:45
align=center bgcolor=#c0a0e0 U4 13:17:10
align=center bgcolor=#d0d0e0 P4 14:22:59
A total lunar eclipse will take place on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, the first of two lunar eclipses in 2026.

This eclipse is the third of an almost tetrad, with others being 14 Mar 2025 (T), 07 Sep 2025 (T) and 28 Aug 2026 (P).

Visibility

It will be completely visible over the Pacific, western USA and Canada, and New Zealand, will be seen rising over Australia and Asia, and setting over the rest of the Americas.

Related eclipses

Eclipses in 2026

Saros series

This lunar eclipse is part of series 133 of the Saros cycle, which repeats every 18 years and 11 days. Series 133 runs from the year 1557 until 2819. The previous eclipse of this series occurred on 21 February 2008 and the next will occur on 13 March 2044.

It is the 7th of 21 total lunar eclipses in series 133. The first was on 28 December 1917. The last (21st) will be on 3 August 2278. The longest two occurrences of this series (14th and 15th) will last for a total of 1 hour and 42 minutes on 18 May 2152 and 30 May 2170. Solar saros 140 interleaves with this lunar saros with an event occurring every 9 years 5 days alternating between each saros series.

Half-Saros cycle

A lunar eclipse will be preceded and followed by solar eclipses by 9 years and 5.5 days (a half saros).[1] This lunar eclipse is related to two annular solar eclipses of Solar Saros 140.

See also

References

  1. Mathematical Astronomy Morsels, Jean Meeus, p.110, Chapter 18, The half-saros

External links