Will the next Blood Moon be visible from South Africa?
It might sound scary, but the Blood Moon is always a stunning nighttime event.
No need to stress, the Blood Moon isn't terrifying or actually bleeding.
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The celestial event, observable with the naked eye, occurs during a lunar eclipse when the Earth passes between the Moon and the Sun, casting the Earth's shadow on the Moon.
A rare total lunar eclipse occurs when Earth's umbra, the darkest part of its shadow, covers the Moon.
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According to NASA, this type of eclipse is also called a "Blood Moon" because the Moon can turn reddish-orange during totality.
The colouration occurs because sunlight is scattered through Earth's atmosphere before reaching the Moon.
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Shorter wavelengths, such as blue and violet, are scattered out, leaving only longer wavelengths, such as red and orange, to illuminate it.
As a result, the more particles in Earth's atmosphere, such as clouds or dust, the redder the Moon will appear during the eclipse.
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While South Africans have seen a few Blood Moons in the past, this time we won't be as lucky.
According to The South African, this particular eclipse on 3 March will be visible across North and Central America, with partial visibility in parts of Central and South Asia.
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This time around, Africa and Europe are outside of the viewing zone and will have to miss out.
Meaning, when the eclipse reaches totality, the Moon simply won’t be above the horizon in South Africa.
The last Blood Moon observed by South Africans was in September 2025.
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If you have FOMO about this event, you can check out the beautiful pictures of last year's eclipse captured by South Africans here.
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Image: Nikita van Loggerenberg / Facebook