Total Lunar Eclipse
03 March 2026 - 04 March 2026
Region(s): Nationwide
Type(s): experiences
On the night of 3 March and into the morning of the 4 Marth 2026, Aotearoa New Zealand will witness a total lunar eclipse.
Aotearoa is one of the only countries in the world that will see the eclipse for its entire duration, and this is the only total lunar eclipse of 2026 – there won’t be another until 2028.
Total lunar eclipse timeline
This timeline is from the night of 3 March into the early morning of 4 March. The optimmal time to catch a glimpse of the eclipse at its best, this will be between midnight and 12:30 am, around peak totality.
9:45 pm – Penumbral eclipse begins (Moon slowly dims)
10:50 pm – Partial eclipse begins (Earth’s shadow moves across the Moon)
Midnight – Total eclipse begins (Moon appears fully red)
12:33 am – Maximum eclipse (best time to see it)
1:00 am – Total eclipse ends (Moon begins to leave Earth’s shadow). The Moon will gradually return to its normal appearance over the next few hours.
Lunar eclipse
Using different camera exposures, 1/80, 2/5 and 2 seconds, the two regions of a lunar eclipse can be seen. The outer penumbral shadow is where the sunlight is dimmed and the inner umbral shadow is where the much dimmer sunlight can be seen as a red colour as it reflects through the Earth’s atmosphere.
Equipment required
Good news! Stargazers won’t need any special equipment and everyone across the country will get an equally good view, as the Moon will be high in the sky for the entire duration of totality.
The only requirement is clear skies, so be sure to check the forecast for your local area before setting your alarms. You will get a better view is you use binoculars, a telescope, or a camera — but they’re not required.
Stardome has more information here.
Related content
Discover more in our Eclipse 101 article that was written by Stardome.
If this has peaked your interest in shadows, Building Science Concepts: Shadows will help explain some of the basic science concepts needed to understand shadows. It inlcudes links to other supporting articles and activities.
Discover more about the moon in The Moon and its misconceptions.
See this collection The Moon and lunar cycles (it supports the Science Roadshow's Astronomy – Te mātai arorangi theme – but it is also useful for anyone using the Moon as a context for teaching about the reflection of light and the use of models).
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