A 45 image panel of the lunar eclipse on March 3rd, 2026.

Taken with an 8” SCT this high resolution image shows the progression of a total lunar eclipse from the initial partial phases, through totality, and then the reverse until the moon was once again fully illuminated. All images are equally time spaced apart.

The spectacular colors of a lunar eclipse are a result of the Earth’s atmosphere, with the combined light of all the world’s sunrises and sunsets dimly illuminating the shadowed moon. What we can often forget though is the light that illuminates the lunar surface must come back through the Earth’s atmosphere again for us to see it. The same reddening that causes a total lunar eclipse to turn to the color of blood, can also be seen beginning to redden the appearance of the moon once again as it reaches for the horizon. The brilliant white of a moon high in the sky can be easily be seen as different in color to a full moon hanging low in the sky, waiting for the sun to rise.

Lunar eclipses not only show us the cosmos in motion but bring into focus the incredible impact that the thin layer of gas that makes up our atmosphere can have on a celestial scale.

Hope many of you had a chance to see it!

To clear skies, cloud and pollution free.