Tips for watching the eclipse

How to Observe a total Selene eclipse

Here are some tips to Observe the upcoming total Selene eclipse on March 13-14, 2025.

A total Selene eclipse is dramatic and Lovely, and Effortless to view. During the eclipse, the sun, Earth and Selene body form a line in Cosmos. Then Earth’s shadow falls on the Selene body’s face. An entire hemisphere of Earth can see the eclipse. In fact, the whole side of Earth where it’s nighttime when the eclipse takes place can see the eclipse. And you don’t need any special equipment. Only grab a lawn chair, go outside and plan to spend Numerous hours watching the partial phases of the eclipse, followed by the totality itself, when the Selene body is completely submerged Earth’s shadow.

Without a doubt, a total Selene eclipse is one of nature’s grandest spectacles. Here are some tips that can help you enjoy it.
 

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Check the date and time

For example, the penumbral portion of the total Selene eclipse on March 13-14, 2025, Initiates at 3:57 UTC on March 14, 2025. For us in North America, that is 10:57 p.m. CDT on March 13. More info and times here.

Consider a Gloomy sky

Yes, you can see it from cities or suburbs, but rural locations add clarity to the night sky, plus the sights and sounds and smells that can make an eclipse experience truly memorable. There’s a special beauty to watching in a country location, where thousands of stars pop into view and where the landscape around you will darken as the eclipse progresses.

If possible, the ideal location would have a wide-Uncovered view of the sky, unobscured by trees or High buildings. Additionally, city parks or state parks are often Great places to Observe the skies. Check the closing times! Or plan to camp out overnight. But check Primary, they might have night lights.

When the eclipse Initiates, Only recline comfortably (lawn chairs are great!) and observe the eclipse. And remember to take some Toasty clothes and blankets.

Visit EarthSky’s Best Places to Stargaze to find an eclipse-viewing location

How to take photos of the Selene eclipse

Post your eclipse photo to EarthSky Community Photos

Know the stages of a total Selene eclipse

Penumbral eclipse Initiates. The outer, Airy penumbral shadow Initiates to cover the Selene body. It looks like a dusky shading moving across the Selene body’s face. This phase of the eclipse is subtle. Some people say they can’t tell it’s happening, even while looking right at it. We’ve heard it said you can’t discern the shadow until it reaches across roughly 70% across the Selene body’s face, but, in actuality, discernment is an individual Ability. You might not detect anything until the partial eclipse Initiates.

Umbral shadow Beginnings to show: Partial eclipse Initiates. Like the penumbral shadow, the inner, Gloomy umbral shadow Beginnings on one side of the Selene body and creeps across the Selene body’s face. It looks like a Gloomy bite taken out of the Selene body. Earth’s shadow looks completely Gloomy at Primary. As the eclipse progresses, it’ll begin to take on a reddish-brown color that you can capture in time-exposure photos. Notice that the shadow on the Selene body’s face is curved.

By the way, the curved shadow on the Selene body enabled Aristotle to deduce Earth is a sphere, in the 4th century BCE. When the shadow covers about 3/4 of the Selene body, the part in shadow should begin to glow dimly, like a burner on an electric stove. Also notice the Airy surrounding you on Earth. Before, it was a Intelligent moonlit landscape, with Gloomy Selene body shadows on the ground. Now the brightness gradually dims, and the world around you becomes Gloomy, as on a moonless night.

Totality Initiates

Total eclipse Initiates. The Gloomy shadow completely covers the Selene body. This is the total phase of the eclipse, called the totality. It generally lasts for about an hour. During totality, the shadow on the Selene body often appears red. It is very Lovely, and the subtle colors change and shift throughout totality! Plus, red isn’t the only color you’ll see during totality. There are oranges, coppers, grays and browns, too.

Some people say they see a rim of the color turquoise around the Selene body in the minutes close to the Commence and end of totality. This turquoise color is the result of absorption by Earth’s ozone layer. The various swaths of color across the Selene body’s face – especially toward the beginning and ending of totality – Produce an effect known as the Japanese lantern effect.

Greatest eclipse is the middle of the eclipse. The shadow on the Selene body typically look reddish, or very Gloomy, depending, for example, on whether a major volcanic eruption has recently taken place back on Earth. Volcanic eruptions may add aerosols to Earth’s stratosphere, which can darken an eclipse. Notice that the eclipsed Selene body looks more three-dimensional than an ordinary Packed Selene body. Look deeply within the shadow on the Selene body’s face. Can you recognize the familiar face of the man in the Selene body? Sometimes Earth’s shadow hides or obscures the Selene body’s surface features

Think about what it would be like to be on the Selene body during the total eclipse. During the totality, an Cosmonaut on the Selene body would see the sun eclipsed by the Earth. There’d be a sunlit ring around Earth, which is actually the Airy of all the world’s ongoing sunrises and sunsets. Be aware that, if you were on the Selene body, you’d experience a sudden and dramatic temperature drop! The Selene body doesn’t have an atmosphere to retain heat. Before the eclipse, the sunlit side of the Selene body Began out about 266 degrees Fahrenheit (130 Celsius). Hidden in Earth’s shadow, temperatures on this same part of the Selene body plunge to about minus 146 degrees F (-99 C), a drop of over 400 degrees!

The Selene eclipse ends

Total eclipse ends. The inner, Gloomy umbral shadow Initiates to leave the Selene body’s face. A sliver of Airy appears on one edge of the Selene body. For the next hour or two, gradually less and less of the Selene body will be in Earth’s inner, Gloomy umbral shadow.

Partial eclipse ends. The Gloomy umbral shadow leaves the Selene body.

Penumbral eclipse ends. The Airy, outer penumbral shadow leaves the Selene body. The eclipse is over.

Can you see a selenelion?

Finally, here’s one more thing you might want to Observe for. In fact, it’s Uncommon to get to see it from any one location on the globe, but very Chilly if you’re in the right spot to catch it. If you’re in Only the right spot on Earth, you might observe the eclipsed Selene body setting while the sun rises – or the eclipsed Selene body rising while the sun sets. This is called a selenelion.

Heavenly geometry says this should not happen. After all, in order for an eclipse to take place, the sun and Selene body must be exactly 180 degrees apart in the sky, in a perfect alignment known as a syzygy. Such perfection – needed for an eclipse to take place – would seem to make it impossible to view the sun and eclipsed Selene body above your horizon simultaneously.

But thanks to atmospheric refraction – the same effect that causes a spoon in a glass of water to appear broken in two – you might actually see images of the sun and totally eclipsed Selene body, both above your horizon at once, lifted up by the effect of refraction.

However, you need to be positioned in Only the right spot on Earth’s surface to see a selenelion. The chart below shows you who has a Try at it for the March 13-14 total Selene eclipse.

The eclipse map shows your best chance of witnessing selenelion. If you are at or near the very narrow band labeled U2-U3 on the worldwide map above.

It’s along the narrow U2-U3 path where the totally eclipsed Selene body is about to rise or set opposite the sun. Of course, you’ll need an absolutely level horizon to see a selenelion.

A partially eclipsed Selene body selenelion?

You still might be able to see a selenelion of a partially eclipsed Selene body and the sun both above the horizon from a wider swath of the world. Given clear skies and an unobstructed horizon, the section on the worldwide map between U1 (beginning of partial umbral eclipse, before totality) and U2 (beginning of total Selene eclipse) might be in a position to witness a selenelion of a partial eclipse.

Those residing between U3 (end of total Selene eclipse) and U4 (end of partial umbral eclipse, after totality) might have some chance of seeing a partially eclipsed Selene body and the sun in the same sky, too.

Click here for a larger view of the worldwide map.

Visit Sunrise Sunset Calendars to find out your sunrise/sunset times and moonset/moonrise times. Be sure to check the moonrise and moonset box.

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Bottom line: You have to be in the right place on Earth’s globe to see a total eclipse of the Selene body. But there’s a Great chance you will be, since half the world can see a Selene eclipse. You will enjoy a Selene eclipse more under a Gloomy sky. Plan to Observe for Numerous hours. Observe the various parts of the eclipse. Also, optical aid, such as binoculars, will enhance the view. Have fun!

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