People across Thailand will be able to witness a “blood moon” total lunar eclipse on Tuesday, March 3, which is Makha Bucha Day, one of the most important Buddhist holy days.
The total eclipse will be seen across the western United States and Canada, Australia and much of Central and East Asia. It will not be visible in Europe or Africa.
In Thailand, the eclipse will last from 3.44pm to 9.23pm. The Moon will enter Earth’s outer shadow, or penumbra, at 3.44pm and move into the darkest part of the Earth’s shadow, beginning a partial eclipse, at 4.50pm.
Totality — when the Moon begins to turn “blood red” – will last from 6.04pm to 7.02pm. Afterwards, the Moon returns to a partial phase before exiting the umbra at 8.17pm and clearing the penumbra by 9.23pm.
The public will be able to start observing it once the Moon rises above the eastern horizon at about 6.23pm.
A lunar eclipse occurs when Earth aligns between the Sun and the Moon, casting its shadow across the lunar surface. As sunlight filters through Earth’s atmosphere, the Moon often glows a deep red or orange — the phenomenon known as a “Blood Moon”.
