We've Got The County Covered
We've Got The County Covered
In the early morning hours of March 3, a total lunar eclipse occurred. Although the overall duration of the eclipse, including the penumbral and partial eclipse phases, was five hours and 39 minutes, totality was most visible in North Central Montana from 4:04 until 5:04 a.m. When Earth passed directly between the sun and moon, it cast a shadow across the lunar surface, turning the moon a deep reddish-orange.
According to NASA, a total lunar eclipse can occur only during a full moon phase. The moon appears dark red or orange because planet Earth blocks most of the sun’s light from reaching the lunar surface. Any light that does reach that surface is filtered through a thick slice of Earth’s atmosphere. At that point, “It’s as if all of the world’s sunrises and sunsets are projected onto the moon.”
Under the influence of these conditions, the moon is doused in sunlight that has been filtered by Earth’s atmosphere — which is adept at scattering blue light while allowing longer redder wavelengths to pass relatively unhindered. This accounts for the rusty, red coloring which favors the term “blood moon.”
NASA scientists report that anywhere from four to seven times a year, our Earth, Moon, and Sun line up just right to create the cosmic-scale shadow show known as an eclipse.
Anyone who missed the event on March 3 can plan to catch the next celestial occurrence. On August 12, 2026, a total solar eclipse will be visible in Greenland, Iceland, Spain, Russia, and a small area of Portugal, while a partial eclipse will be visible in Europe, Africa, North America, and the Atlantic, Arctic, and Pacific Oceans.
