On the night of September 7, 2025, Earth’s only satellite, our moon, will glide into alignment with the Sun and our planet, entering a grand total lunar eclipse. As Earth casts its darkest shadow – the umbra – fully across the lunar surface, the full September Moon will take on a haunting, coppery-red glow, the phenomenon is commonly known as a “Blood Moon.” Unlike a solar eclipse that flashes by in minutes, this lunar event will unfold with dignified duration and atmospheric depth, inviting quiet contemplation rather than breathless exclamation.

The eclipse will commence with the penumbral phase as Earth’s faint outer shadow begins to dim the Moon, starting around 15:28 UTC. Gradually moving deeper, the Moon enters partial eclipse a little before 16:27 UTC, until at roughly 17:30 UTC, totality begins. At this moment, the Moon will be fully immersed in Earth’s umbra and its glowing face transformed by sunlight filtered through our atmosphere. This total phase will reach its apex at approximately 18:11 UTC and will linger for about eighty-three minutes, finally ending near 18:52 UTC, as the Moon emerges and begins the reverse shadow dance—partial eclipse until about 19:56 UTC and penumbral retreat completed by 20:55 UTC.

This eclipse is striking not only for its beauty but also for its astronomical rhythm. It belongs to the venerable Saros series 128, being the 41st of seventy-one eclipses, each spaced by approximately 18 years. It occurs when the full Moon lies near the ascending node of its orbit, slightly southward, with a gamma value of about –0.275, denoting the Moon passing somewhat south of the central line of Earth’s shadow. Its umbral magnitude, roughly 1.36, indicates that the Moon delves well into the shadow’s core.

In practical terms, this eclipse will be observed fully across vast expanses of our planet. Viewers in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia will witness the entire spectacle, while those in the Americas will unfortunately miss it altogether – this is an Eclipse of the Eastern Hemisphere. Astronomical visibility is generous: around 85 percent of the global population will see at least part of the total phase, with roughly 76 percent able to catch the entirety of totality, and about 60 percent afforded the full run of every phase from beginning to end.

For observers, the sight will be marvelously safe and accessible – no special eyewear is needed, unlike solar eclipses. With clear Eastern horizons, one might witness the waning silver face of the Moon darken gently and then deepen into burnished red as if glowing from within, before slowly emerging again into ordinary twilight.

And as an astronomical encore, this cosmic choreography is framed by an eclipse season: two weeks later, on September 21, 2025, Earth will experience a partial solar eclipse, neatly bookending the lunar event