A total lunar eclipse will be visible across the entirety of North America, most of South America, and other parts of the world tonight and tomorrow, March 13 and 14.
A lunar eclipse results from the Sun, Earth, and Moon aligning such that the Moon passes into Earth’s shadow. In tonight’s case, a total lunar eclipse, the entire Moon will be within the darkest part of Earth’s shadow, the umbra. When the umbra obscures the Moon, the Moon appears reddish-orange in the night sky, which is why it is referred to as a “Blood Moon.”
If someone has clear skies, they can easily see the Blood Moon with their naked eyes. However, binoculars, a telescope, or, ideally, a telephoto lens can help elevate the viewing experience. Some photographers may even get as fortunate as Justin Anderson did in May 2022 when he captured the Blood Moon, aurora, and Milky Way in one brilliant image.
The penumbral eclipse begins tonight at 11:57 PM EDT (8:57 PM PDT). This is when the Moon enters the Earth’s penumbra, and the Moon will start to dim. The partial eclipse begins a little over an hour later at 1:09 AM EDT (10:09 PM PDT), with totality following at 2:26 AM EDT (11:26 PM PDT). During totality, the Moon turns a “coppery red,” per NASA. Totality will last just over an hour, ending at 3:31 AM EDT (12:31 AM PDT), providing viewers and photographers plenty of time to capture a great photo. The eclipse will end at 6 AM EDT (3 AM PDT). NASA’s visualization below offers a preview of what the event will look like at specific times.
Photographers will need a few relatively simple pieces of kit to get shots of the Blood Moon. A camera and tripod are a must, of course. The best lens depends on what type of shot someone wants. A wide or short telephoto lens can get a more traditional landscape photo, while a long telephoto lens is the best bet for getting a close-up shot of the red Moon.
The Moon and Earth are in constant motion, so photographers want to ensure they have a shutter speed that is fast enough to avoid motion blur. The precise “best” shutter speed will depend on the lens’s focal length, but a good rule of thumb is to avoid anything longer than a couple of seconds. Faster is better, and photographers should not be afraid to increase their camera’s ISO as needed. It’s always possible to reduce noise after capturing a photo, but removing motion blur is impossible.
While some of the latest cameras can focus in dim conditions, and the eclipsed Moon will be pretty dark, manual focus is a good option, so photographers should be familiar with their camera’s manual focus features ahead of time. As for shooting mode, shooting in full manual or shutter speed priority are both good options.
Gordon Laing of Cameralabs created a great tutorial video a few years ago, which is as useful now as it was then.
PetaPixel‘s “How to Photograph a Total Lunar Eclipse” guide has even more information, including advice on metering modes and how to plan photo compositions with apps like PhotoPills.
Image credits: Featured image licensed via Depositphotos.
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