Blood Worm Moon: Total Lunar Eclipse to Illuminate Skies on March 3

One of the most captivating astronomical events of 2026 is set to occur on March 3, when a full moon will coincide with a total lunar eclipse. On Tuesday night, the sky will feature what is known as a “Blood Worm Moon.” The total lunar eclipse will last for nearly one hour.

If skywatchers miss this special reddish moon, they will have to wait until December 31, 2028 to witness the next total lunar eclipse.

According to information from NASA, the moon will be most clearly visible in the evening sky over North America, particularly along the western coast of the region. It will be distinctly visible southwest of the Hawaiian Islands of the United States. The eclipse will also be clearly observable from the Kingman Reef National Wildlife Refuge, Howland Island, the Marshall Islands, as well as Kosrae Island and the southeastern part of Lugav State in Micronesia.

The rare celestial event will also be visible from Bangladesh. On Tuesday, March 3, the eclipse process will begin at 2:42:36 p.m. Bangladesh time as the moon enters the penumbral shadow. The total eclipse will commence at 5:03:54 p.m., and the central phase will occur at 5:33:42 p.m. The maximum magnitude of the eclipse will be 1.115.

According to sources at the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the final stages of the eclipse will be visible in Bangladesh from moonrise until 8:24:42 p.m. The starting times of the eclipse in divisional cities were as follows:

Dhaka: 6:01:12 p.m.
Chattogram: 5:56:24 p.m.
Sylhet: 5:54:30 p.m.
Rajshahi: 6:07:36 p.m.
Khulna: 6:05:12 p.m.
Barishal: 6:01:54 p.m.
Mymensingh: 6:00:24 p.m.
Rangpur: 6:04:36 p.m.

The eclipse will conclude completely at 8:24:42 p.m. when the moon exits the penumbral shadow.

It is worth noting that during a total lunar eclipse, the Earth positions itself between the Sun and the Moon, preventing direct sunlight from reaching the lunar surface. However, a portion of sunlight passes through Earth’s atmosphere and is refracted onto the Moon. The atmosphere scatters shorter wavelengths of blue light more effectively while allowing longer wavelengths of red light to pass through toward the Moon. This is why the Moon appears coppery or reddish during a total lunar eclipse.

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