Just at the beginning of this month, we were able to experience the second full moon of the year – the so-called Snow Moon. And just yesterday, on February 17, 2026, Chinese New Year, a ring-shaped solar eclipse took place. The moon passed in front of the sun, covering most of it, but because of its greater distance from Earth, it could not completely obscure it – leaving a bright ring of sunlight visible around the dark moon disk. However, in its full “ring of fire” form, the eclipse was only visible over the remote Antarctic. So what’s next in the sky? On the night of March 2 to 3, 2026, there will be a total lunar eclipse – an astronomical event in which the full moon is completely immersed in the Earth’s shadow. The sunlight is refracted in the Earth’s atmosphere, causing the moon to appear reddish for a short time. This is precisely why this fascinating phenomenon is commonly referred to as a “blood moon.”
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During a total lunar eclipse, the Earth is positioned exactly between the Sun and the Moon. Direct sunlight is refracted and scattered in the Earth’s atmosphere: blue light is scattered more strongly than red light, so that predominantly reddish light reaches the Moon – giving it its characteristic color.
The total lunar eclipse on March 3, 2026, will occur in several phases. First, the moon enters the penumbra of the Earth – this phase is still relatively inconspicuous. Then the partial phase begins as soon as the umbra touches the moon’s disk. This is followed by the total phase: the moon is now completely in the Earth’s shadow and appears in an impressive shade of red. Finally, it gradually leaves the shadow until the eclipse ends completely.
The entire eclipse lasts several hours, with the total phase lasting around 58 minutes – almost a full hour during which the moon is bathed in reddish light. However, the total lunar eclipse will not be visible everywhere in the world at the same time. The decisive factor is whether the moon is above the horizon at the time of the event. The blood moon is particularly easy to observe in North America – especially on the west coast of the USA and in Canada – in East Asia (e.g. in Japan and parts of China), in Australia and New Zealand, and in large parts of the Pacific region.
Photo: Shutterstock
Unfortunately, the total lunar eclipse will not be visible in Europe, including Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The reason is simple: during the decisive phase, the moon will be below the horizon here, or it will already be daytime. Even though the eclipse will occur simultaneously worldwide, the moon will not be in the sky from a European perspective.
Whether a lunar eclipse can be observed depends entirely on whether the moon is above the horizon at the moment it enters the Earth’s shadow. On March 3, 2026, the total phase will occur precisely during the hours when it is early morning or already daylight in Europe – the moon will have already set by that time.
Anyone who wants to experience the next “blood moon” visible from Germany will therefore have to be patient: the next clearly visible total lunar eclipse is not expected to take place here until December 31, 2028.