Looking up at the sky is something anyone can do, but truly understanding what you’re seeing requires some prior knowledge of the celestial events that are about to unfold. And 2025 is shaping up to be a fantastic year for stargazing, with three lunar or solar eclipses – total or partial – visible from our country. The first of these events takes place this Friday, March 14, although it will more closely resemble what’s commonly known as a “blood moon.”
This Friday’s event is a total lunar eclipse, a phenomenon where the Earth blocks the sun’s light from reaching our natural satellite, creating a cone of shadow that darkens the moon. Typically, when this occurs, the eclipsed moon takes on a reddish hue due to the dispersion of refracted light by the atmosphere. Unlike solar eclipses, lunar eclipses can be seen from anywhere in the world, provided it’s nighttime. Additionally, whereas solar eclipses usually last several minutes, lunar eclipses can stretch on for several hours, according to experts at the National Geographic Institute (IGN).
This eclipse is also coinciding with another relatively rare astronomical event: the alignment of four planets in the night sky, just a few days after the alignment of seven planets began. This unusual occurrence provides a unique opportunity for stargazers to witness a spectacular display of celestial bodies.
What Time is the Lunar Eclipse?
One of the most important things to know before preparing to enjoy the lunar eclipse is the timing. Depending on the observation location, you might see the total and partial phases of the eclipse or just the partial phase. Specifically, the total and partial phases will be visible from the western part of the peninsula, the Canary Islands, Ceuta, and Melilla, while in the eastern part of the country and the Balearic Islands, only the partial phase will be visible.
The partial lunar eclipse begins at 6:10 a.m. and ends at 9:48 a.m. To witness the total eclipse, you’ll need to look at the satellite between 7:26 a.m. and 8:31 a.m.
What Do You Need to See the Lunar Eclipse?
According to the IGN, observing the eclipse can be done with the naked eye and doesn’t pose any danger or require special instrumentation. So, all you need to do is head to a high location, away from light pollution, and consider the weather conditions: clear skies are ideal for enjoying this type of astronomical event.
Lunar Eclipse or Blood Moon?
The answer is simple, but it needs to be understood: yes, it’s a lunar eclipse, and yes, it’s a blood moon. This is due to the same phenomenon that makes the sky appear blue or sunsets take on a reddish hue. As NASA points out, sunlight appears white but actually contains a “rainbow of components” with different physical properties for each color of light. Blue light is dispersed relatively easily through the atmosphere, while red light travels more directly through the air.
“When the sun is high in the sky on a clear day, we see blue light scattered all over the sky above us. At sunrise and sunset, when the sun is near the horizon, the incoming solar light travels a longer path at a low angle through the atmosphere to reach observers on the ground. The bluer part of the solar light is scattered away (where it’s still daytime), and only the part of the spectrum that goes from yellow to red reaches our eyes,” according to NASA.
During a lunar eclipse, the moon appears red or orange because “all the solar light that isn’t blocked is filtered through a thick portion of the atmosphere on its way to the surface” of the moon. It’s like “all the sunrises and sunsets in the world are projected onto the moon,” in NASA’s words.