Countdown to the Eclipse:
A total lunar eclipse will take place on March 3, 2026, turning the full moon dark red for nearly an hour as it passes fully into Earth’s shadow. The event will last five hours and 39 minutes from start to finish, with 58 minutes of totality.
While skywatchers across parts of the world will witness the spectacle, observers in Greenwich, UK, will miss it entirely because the Moon will remain below the horizon throughout the event. The peak of the eclipse will occur at 11:33:40 UTC.
During a total lunar eclipse, Earth moves directly between the Sun and the Moon. The Moon first enters the faint outer shadow, known as the penumbra, at 08:43:57 UTC. It reaches the darker central shadow, or umbra, at 09:49:36 UTC, beginning the partial phase. Totality starts at 11:03:54 UTC and ends at 12:02:52 UTC. The eclipse concludes when the Moon exits the penumbra at 14:23:18 UTC.
The eclipse has an umbral magnitude of 1.153. That means the Moon will pass well within Earth’s central shadow at maximum phase. The penumbral magnitude stands at 2.186, indicating a deep transit through the outer shadow as well. These figures confirm a strong total eclipse rather than a borderline event.
Greenwich will not see any phase because the Moon will sit below 0 degrees altitude during the entire timeline. In practical terms, the event happens during local daylight hours there. Other regions, depending on location, will experience some or all phases while the Moon is above the horizon.
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