A total lunar eclipse or blood moon will be fully visible across Melbourne on 3 March, turning the moon a deep, coppery red.
The total lunar eclipse — sometimes called a blood moon — will unfold across the Melbourne evening sky, with Earth’s shadow beginning its slow crawl across the moon’s surface from around 8:50pm AEDT.
According to NASA, totality begins at 10:04pm and runs until 11:03pm, peaking at 10:33pm. The red colour happens because sunlight passing through Earth’s atmosphere filters out most wavelengths except red, effectively casting the light from every sunrise and sunset on the planet onto the moon’s surface at once. No special equipment is needed to watch it — just a clear view of the sky.
Melbourne’s blood moon total lunar eclipse
- When: 3 March, totality from 10:04pm to 11:03pm AEDT (partial phase from ~8:50pm)
- Where: Anywhere in Melbourne with a clear view of the sky
- What you need: Nothing — visible to the naked eye
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Melbourne is one of the best-placed cities on the planet for this one. The entire eclipse — from the first faint dimming of the penumbral phase to the final sliver of shadow sliding off the moon — will be visible from start to finish. Unlike plenty of eclipses that demand a middle-of-the-night alarm, this one peaks before 11pm. After 3 March, Melbourne won’t see another total lunar eclipse until New Year’s Eve 2028, making this a nearly three-year wait if you miss it.
How to see the blood moon in Melbourne
For the best view, find somewhere with a clear northern horizon and minimal light pollution — though even from inner-city backyards and rooftops the red moon should be easy to spot. During totality, the sky darkens enough for stars and constellations usually washed out by full-moon glare to become visible, with the moon sitting in the constellation Leo. The partial phase from 8:50pm is worth catching too, as you can watch Earth’s curved shadow gradually creep across the lunar surface before it goes fully red.
What time the Melbourne lunar eclipse is
According to the Australasian Sky Guide, authored by Adjunct Professor Nick Lomb at the Centre for Astrophysics at the University of Southern Queensland, totality from Melbourne runs between 10:04pm and 11:03pm local time. The eclipse is the only total lunar eclipse of 2026 and follows two weeks after the annular solar eclipse on 17 February, both part of the same eclipse season.
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