A total lunar eclipse will turn the moon a “blood-red” color on Tuesday, with skywatchers in North America, Central America and the western part of South America able to see the event in the morning, according to the Associated Press. In other regions, the timing shifts: Australia and eastern Asia can catch it Tuesday night, while partial stages can be seen from Central Asia and much of South America.
During a total lunar eclipse, the Earth lines up between the sun and the full moon, casting a shadow across the moon. The “so-called blood moon” appears red because stray sunlight filters through Earth’s atmosphere before falling into the shadowed region, the report said.
The eclipse unfolds over several hours, with totality lasting about an hour. For people hoping to observe, the Associated Press said no special equipment is needed beyond clear, cloudless conditions, and viewers can check timing for their location using forecasting apps or online celestial calendars.
Catherine Miller, an astronomer at Middlebury College’s Mittelman Observatory, compared the viewing experience to a solar eclipse, telling the Associated Press that “the lunar eclipse is a little more of a relaxed pace.” Bennett Maruca of the University of Delaware echoed that approach in a separate comment, saying, “You don’t have to be out there the whole time to see the shadows moving.”
The story’s coverage also placed Tuesday’s lunar eclipse in a broader eclipse sequence. The Associated Press reported that Tuesday’s total lunar eclipse comes two weeks after a “ring of fire” solar eclipse that dazzled people and penguins in Antarctica, noting that eclipses typically come in clusters when the sun, moon and Earth land in the same orbital sweet spot. MSI previously reported on the first 2026 “ring of fire” solar eclipse visible from Antarctica in mid-February .
Geographically, the report said the eclipse will not be visible in Africa and Europe, where observers will be “shut out.” It added that partial stages remain visible for other areas, with “small bites” taken out of the moon during the partial phases.
For planning future skywatching, the Associated Press said there will not be another total lunar eclipse until late 2028. It also noted that a partial lunar eclipse is scheduled for August, with visibility across the Americas, Europe, Africa and west Asia.