March 2025 lunar eclipse

Last updated

March 2025 lunar eclipse
Total eclipse
March 2025 Total Lunar Eclipse.jpg
View from Olympia, Washington, just after 07:00 UTC.
DateMarch 14, 2025
Gamma 0.3485
Magnitude 1.1804
Saros cycle 123 (53 of 72)
Totality66 minutes, 3.9 seconds
Partiality218 minutes, 55.8 seconds
Penumbral363 minutes, 22.4 seconds
Contacts (UTC)
P13:57:09.4
U15:09:22.6
U26:25:57.5
Greatest6:58:44.5
U37:32:01.5
U48:48:18.5
P410:00:31.9

A total lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon's descending node of orbit on Friday, March 14, 2025, [1] with an umbral magnitude of 1.1804. A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon moves into the Earth's shadow, causing the Moon to be darkened. A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon's near side entirely passes into the Earth's umbral shadow. Unlike a total solar eclipse, which can only be viewed from a relatively small area of the world, a lunar eclipse may be viewed from anywhere on the night side of Earth. A total lunar eclipse can last up to nearly two hours, while a total solar eclipse lasts only a few minutes at any given place, because the Moon's shadow is smaller. Occurring about 3.3 days before apogee (on March 17, 2025, at 12:35 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was smaller. [2]

Contents

This lunar eclipse was the first of an almost tetrad, with the others being on September 8, 2025 (total); March 3, 2026 (total); and August 28, 2026 (partial).

This eclipse was seen from the surface of the Moon by Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost Mission 1 lander, which captured images of the ring of light around the Earth as the Sun passed behind it and the red glow on the Moon's surface. [3] [4]

Visibility

The eclipse was completely visible over North America and South America, seen rising over Australia and northeast Asia and setting over Africa and Europe. [5]

Lunar eclipse from moon-2025Mar14.png
Simulated view of earth from moon
Lunar-eclipse-from-moon-earth-3-14-2025.png
From moon, with IR clouds [6]
Lunar eclipse chart close-2025Mar14.png

Eclipse details

Shown below is a table displaying details about this particular lunar eclipse. It describes various parameters pertaining to this eclipse. [7]

March 14, 2025 Lunar Eclipse Parameters
ParameterValue
Penumbral Magnitude2.26146
Umbral Magnitude1.18038
Gamma0.34846
Sun Right Ascension23h37m46.0s
Sun Declination-02°24'16.8"
Sun Semi-Diameter16'05.2"
Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax08.8"
Moon Right Ascension11h38m23.0s
Moon Declination+02°40'54.6"
Moon Semi-Diameter14'52.8"
Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax0°54'36.8"
ΔT71.7 s

Eclipse season

This eclipse is part of an eclipse season, a period, roughly every six months, when eclipses occur. Only two (or occasionally three) eclipse seasons occur each year, and each season lasts about 35 days and repeats just short of six months (173 days) later; thus two full eclipse seasons always occur each year. Either two or three eclipses happen each eclipse season. In the sequence below, each eclipse is separated by 14 days.

Eclipse season of March 2025
March 14
Descending node (full moon)
March 29
Ascending node (new moon)
Lunar eclipse chart close-2025Mar14.png SE2025Mar29P.png
Total lunar eclipse
Lunar Saros 123
Partial solar eclipse
Solar Saros 149

See also

Notes

  1. "March 13–14, 2025 Total Lunar Eclipse (Blood Moon)". timeanddate. Archived from the original on 22 January 2025. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
  2. "Moon Distances for London, United Kingdom, England". timeanddate. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
  3. "Blue Ghost Mission 1: Live Updates".
  4. "Firefly's Dazzling Images of Earth Eclipsing the Sun".
  5. "Total Lunar Eclipse of 2025 Mar 14" (PDF). NASA. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 December 2024. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
  6. http://www.ssec.wisc.edu/data/comp/ir/2025073M0600.gif
  7. "Total Lunar Eclipse of 2025 Mar 14". EclipseWise.com. Retrieved 18 November 2024.