The Chicago area was treated to a partial lunar eclipse on Tuesday, and while it coincided with a supermoon, the next eclipse in the area could be even more spectacular.
In fact, the next lunar eclipse that will be visible across the sky in the Chicago area will be a total lunar eclipse, and it’s coming sooner than you might think.
Here’s what you need to know.
What is a total lunar eclipse?
In a total lunar eclipse, the moon moves into the Earth’s shadow, or its “umbra.” Some sunlight that passes through the atmosphere still reaches the moon’s surface, but only colors with longer wavelengths remain visible, according to NASA.
As a result, the Moon appears reddish during a lunar eclipse, with the amount of dust in Earth’s atmosphere helping to determine how red the Moon’s surface appears.
When will the eclipse take place?
A total lunar eclipse will take place on the night of March 14, 2025 and will be visible across a wide swath of the world, including the United States.
If you want to see it, you either have to stay up late or wake up super early. The partial eclipse will begin at approximately 12:09 p.m. on March 14, according to TimeandDateand will be a total lunar eclipse at approximately 1:26 a.m., peaking just before 2 a.m.
What else will be unique about this eclipse?
Where the partial lunar eclipse that the Chicago area saw on Tuesday occurred during a “supermoon,” meaning the moon was at one of its closest points to Earth, the March 2025 total lunar eclipse will actually occur during a “micromoon”, meaning the Moon will be at one of its farthest points from Earth in its orbit.
This means the moon will appear slightly smaller than normal in the sky, but will still take on the distinctive red hue that accompanies a lunar eclipse.
When is the next solar eclipse?
Just two weeks later, there will also be a partial solar eclipse on March 29, but it will only be visible in the far northeastern United States, with the primary effects observed across the Atlantic and in parts of eastern Canada, Great Britain and Ireland.
Another total lunar eclipse will occur in autumn 2025, but will only be visible over parts of Asia, Africa and Australia.