The short answer is not very. Total lunar eclipses happen every few years, visible from large swaths of the Earth. In contrast, some people can live their entire lives without a total solar eclipse being visible from their home. This is why traveling to see solar eclipses has become more popular in recent years.
So don’t fret if you miss the March 3, 2026 total lunar eclipse. You’ll get another chance within a few years, and it will likely come to you, no road trip required! But it’s worth taking a look if you haven’t seen one before. While some may not find it as spectacular as a total solar eclipse, it is still a notable display of astronomical beauty and not something you can see every month.
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth passes directly between the Sun and the Moon. This creates a somewhat different effect from a solar eclipse, when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth and creates a dark spot on the Earth. The orbital dynamics and differences in size allow for the Earth’s shadow to entirely cover the near side of the Moon, rather than just covering a spot. This may make you think that the Moon should appear black and be almost invisible. However, Earth’s atmosphere scatters light that would otherwise pass right by us, and some of that scattered light ends up illuminating the Moon, even without direct line of sight. Since longer wavelengths of light are more likely to be scattered, more red light reaches the Moon, so the Moon turns red during a total lunar eclipse.
The rarity claims come from combining the total lunar eclipse with the fact this full Moon is also known as the Worm Moon. This is simply a traditional name for any full Moon that occurs in March. Some sources try to play up the rarity of a “Blood Worm Moon,” but strictly speaking a full Moon occurring in March has no special astronomical significance. The Worm Moon moniker is mostly a cultural label, appearing in Farmer’s Almanacs and is also sometimes used in astrology. The name is based on March being a time when winter starts to break, the ground begins to thaw, and earthworms emerge.
This particular total lunar eclipse will be easy viewing, timewise, for the US Eastern time zone. Totality will begin at approximately 6:04 a.m. and end about 7:02 a.m., with the peak occurring at 6:33 a.m. (All times Eastern.) How dark or deeply red the Moon appears can vary depending on atmospheric conditions. Sometimes it can appear more orange or yellowish. Part of the eclipse time coincides with moonset, so the entire eclipse may not be visible from all areas. www.timeanddate.com has an eclipse banner on their main page, which readers can click on to give them the exact times for their area and whether or not the total eclipse will be visible.
Another bonus of a lunar eclipse over a solar eclipse is safety is not a factor. No special eyewear is needed. While backyard viewing can be suitable, for best viewing, try to get away from cities or large towns, where light pollution and even smog can somewhat detract from the experience. The darker, clearer, and cleaner the sky, the better.
Tidings from the Void 