North America has enjoyed a steady jaunt of eclipses crossing or grazing populated areas of Canada, the United States, and Mexico in the past decade, with so far three solar eclipses in 2017, 2023, and 2024, as well as a number of both partial and total lunar eclipses, notably in 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2025. While the two total solar eclipses in 2017 and 2024 were spectacular, my favorite was the eclipse I didn’t…actually see…while standing on the rim of a volcano: Crater Lake in October 2023.
Lunar eclipses are a whole different type of experience. The whole doesn’t gather in the way we do for a total solar eclipse. For most, the hype isn’t there. A few reasons why:
- Lunar eclipses are visible over a MUCH wider area (anyone who can see the Moon can see the eclipse)
- Lunar eclipses typically occur in the middle of the night
- Lunar eclipses don’t bring the WOW factor for many people as much as a total solar eclipse does (they aren’t reality shifting experiences in the way a TSE is)
While this list is subjective to me as an astronomer and I’m naturally more excited about celestial geometry, I do talk to thousands of people every month, and most people forget, don’t wake up, or just don’t have the same fascination with astronomy. It’s cool to them, but they don’t go out of their way to seek out events like these. Even with the Total Solar Eclipse of 2024, a fascinating social phenomenon I experienced firsthand was how people thought that if they could see the Sun outside the path, they would experience the solar eclipse, and were left disappointed when not much changed in their location. Even people who were in the high 90% ranges thought it was “good enough.”
The truth is, however, that only the 100% path of a Total Solar Eclipse is “worth it.” All the hype happens inside the shadow.
The lunar eclipse of March 14, 2025 was no different. It was a nerdy dream come true: you can’t ask for much more than a cool celestial phenomenon happening on Pi Day (3.14). Despite having to stay up until all hours of the night (or go to sleep and wake up again, if you so chose), a lunar eclipse truly is worth the effort. You’re witnessing two geometry and optics play out on a large scale:
- Geometry: the Moon lining up perfectly on the opposite side of the Sun from the Earth so it travels into the Earth’s umbra, the darkest part of the shadow
- Optics: the refraction of light caused by Earth’s atmosphere acting like a giant magnifying glass so that all the sunsets and sunrises are focused onto the Moon, washing it in a red-orange color
The progression of Earth’s shadow is, in my opinion, the dynamic part of a lunar eclipse that you need to watch for yourself. It’s the most active stage of the six-hour event, and causes the Moon to appear unfamiliar in a way you rarely see. Sure, the shadow sort of causes the Moon to appear in phases, but…more so in a blurry, imperfect way, and happening in real-time backward from how you typically see phases of the Moon in the evening sky.
First a corner of the Moon is missing…
Then the shadow swallows an entire edge…
Soon half…
And then a tiny strip of white pokes out the final corner before the Moon moves into the umbra and the reddish glow transforms it into a strange orb, dark to the eye with stars visible at its sides in a way you’d never see otherwise.
Light pollution typically is not an issue for lunar eclipses. You certainly don’t want to be in a blinding area–stay behind a wall or trees if light is unavoidable. For this Pi Day eclipse, I was in a field next to a bright parking lot in the shadow of a tree, and the eclipse was easily visible above. It can be somewhat difficult to see with the naked eye when it turns red (depending how deep into the shadow it gets) but this time around it was fairly visible the entire time. Still, using binoculars is always a good aid to watch the eclipse as it darkens. Telescopes, for most, will be overkill.
Of course, I used my telescope to aid my picture-taking. I had a NeXYZ phone clamp allowing me to get a steady shot with my Galaxy 24+ phone, and captured the changing phase of the Earth’s shadow crossing the Moon up until about 2am, at which point St. Petersburg’s park sprinklers decided to turn on, forcing a small change in location.
From there, getting the full red eclipse was no issue. I used a 2 second exposure with 12MP and 50MP for the shots I got, and ended up using the 12MP image for the 12×12 metallic prints I made.
Want a print of your own featuring the Pi Day Total Lunar Eclipse? Email me at thehikingastronomer@gmail.com. $40.00 each + shipping.
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