Bold claim: the total lunar eclipse of 2026 delivered a breathtaking celestial show, and the first wave of images proves it. The spectacle of darkness sweeping across the full moon unfolded over North America, with totality eventually ending as Earth’s shadow dimmed and the moon began to reemerge. The moment when the full moon transformed into a dramatic blood moon happened earlier tonight, and creators from across the Americas and Oceania are already sharing stunning captures.
Across the web, both the partial and total phases are being showcased in striking detail. In New Zealand, Mirko Harnisch and the Dunedin Astronomical Society captured a radiant shot of the moon during the partial phase, a frame that comes from a livestream by The Virtual Telescope Project and showcases how the inner shadow of Earth gradually darkened the lunar seas on the western side. The March full moon—commonly known as the Worm Moon because soil and ground loosen as temperatures rise—appears here as a reminder of the season’s change and the moon’s changing face.
From the Philippines, photographer Ted Aljibe offered a compelling view of the partially eclipsed moon rising over Manila, with Earth’s shadow veiling the lower rim of the disk. Time and Date provided another perspective: a small crescent peeking out as Earth’s umbral shadow swept across, revealing the Moon’s familiar maria—Mare Crisium (the Sea of Crisis) at the top and Mare Fecunditatis (the Sea of Fertility) below—regions that once bore lava flows in the Moon’s ancient past.
New Zealand’s Harnisch and the Dunedin group returned with a totality shot, catching the Moon as sunlight bent through Earth’s atmosphere and illuminated the lunar surface in a dusky, coppery hue—the classic blood moon effect. In Yucca Valley, California, Time and Date offered a view from a mobile observatory, where the darkened lunar features stood out against the red-tinged disk as the Moon drifted behind a shadowed Earth.
Photographer Phil Walker contributed another striking image from northern New Zealand, capturing the full Moon bathed in a palette of sunrise- and sunset-inspired light cast across the planet.
Stay connected with Space.com’s total lunar eclipse live blog for real-time updates on milestones as Earth’s shadow slides off the Moon. The March 3 event will conclude at 9:23 a.m. EST (14:23 GMT) when the outer penumbral shadow departs the lunar disk.
Editor’s note: If you have photos from the March 3 blood moon eclipse, Space.com would love to feature them. Please send your images, along with your name and location, to spacephotos@space.com.
Anthony Wood joined Space.com in 2025, bringing a passion for the night sky, science, and space exploration. He invites us to imagine the day astronauts again walk on the Moon.
Would you have liked more technical detail on the eclipse’s phases, or are you most inspired by the human stories and photographer perspectives from different regions? Share your thoughts in the comments.
