The first total lunar eclipse of the year will be partially visible in India, ‘Blood Moon’ will be visible with ordinary eyes.

Lunar Eclipse 2026: If you are interested in astronomical events then the evening of March 3, 2026 is bringing a beautiful astronomical view for you. Because March 2026 is going to start with a special astronomical event. The first full lunar eclipse of the year will occur on March 3, 2026 (Tuesday). A total lunar eclipse is taking place on Phalgun Purnima on March 3, but in India only this Khangras lunar eclipse will be visible.

According to Indian time, this eclipse will start at 3 pm in the afternoon and will end before 7 pm in the evening. But you will be able to easily see it in the eastern sky right after sunset in the evening till about 6.33 PM. Because this eclipse will completely end at 6.47 in the evening. This blood moon can be seen even with ordinary eyes.

Astronomer Amar Pal Singh said that the lunar eclipse of March 3, 2026 will be visible in India in the evening, but it will be only as the last phase and there will also be a chance to see the ‘Blood Moon’, although the duration of this astronomical event will be limited.

Astronomer Amar Pal Singh said that this lunar eclipse will be completely visible in most parts of America and the Pacific region, which also includes Australia, New Zealand and some parts of East Asia. From where the entire phase of the total lunar eclipse will be visible.

How to see this lunar eclipse

Astronomer Amar Pal Singh said that to view this lunar eclipse, no special equipment or special binoculars or any special telescope etc. is required. You can see it with ordinary eyes also and during this time the effect of “Blood Moon” will also be visible with ordinary eyes. During this period the magnitude of the Moon will be approximately minus 12. Because during this time it will be a full moon and the moon will be located in the Leo constellation.

What is lunar eclipse?

Astronomer Amar Pal Singh said that the Moon completes its revolution around the Earth in a little more than 29 days. But under certain circumstances, the Sun, the Earth and the Moon align, causing the Earth to come between the Sun and the Moon. As a result, the Moon enters the Earth’s shadow and direct sunlight does not fall on it.

In the language of astronomy, it is called lunar eclipse or in more simple words, lunar eclipse is that astronomical phenomenon. When the Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon and the Earth’s shadow falls on the Moon. During this time, some or all part of the moon appears covered.

The eclipse is determined accordingly. For example, if it is completely covered then it is called a full lunar eclipse and if it is half covered then it is called a total lunar eclipse. Then it is called a partial lunar eclipse and if even a light shadow of the shadow, which is called penumbra, is visible then it is called penumbral lunar eclipse, but this time the lunar eclipse will be partially visible in India.

When and how often does a lunar eclipse occur?

Astronomer Amar Pal Singh said that although the Moon reaches full moon every 29 days, lunar eclipse does not occur every month. This is because the Moon’s orbit is inclined by about 5° with respect to the Earth’s orbit.

Most of the time, the Moon passes above or below the Earth’s shadow, but an eclipse occurs whenever all three celestial bodies line up in an exact straight line (plane), but there are at least two lunar eclipses each year, and a maximum of five (although this is very rare). However, most of these are partial lunar eclipses. Viewing a total lunar eclipse from a single location is a rare phenomenon.

If we talk about the lunar eclipse that will be visible on March 3, 2026, then we find that this lunar eclipse that will be visible on March 3, 2026 in India will be of the Prastodit Khagras type. This eclipse will be visible only for about 25 minutes.

In India, this eclipse will be clearly visible from around 6:30 pm to 6:46 pm, i.e. only for about 15-20 minutes. If Season If it remains clear, the redness of ‘blood moon’ will also be seen in many parts of the country. Visibility may be slightly better in the northeastern states, while in West and South India it will be visible only in the last part.

Why and what is Blood Moon and why does the Moon’s own color change?

Astronomer Amar Pal Singh said that the brightness and color of the Moon during a lunar eclipse depends on the conditions of our Earth’s atmosphere at the time of the eclipse.

Dust, humidity, smoke, temperature etc. all the factors present in the atmosphere affect the light. When sunlight bends (refracts) through the Earth’s atmosphere and reaches the Moon, most of the blue wavelength light gets scattered and a relatively greater amount of red wavelengths reach the Moon.

For this reason, the color of the Moon can appear from light red to dark red like copper. This is the reason that sometimes during a lunar eclipse, the color and brightness of the Moon appears to change due to the actual condition of the Earth’s atmospheric components.