Mark Your Calendars: A Blood Moon Is Coming to Philippine Skies on March 3
Get ready to look up, Pilipinas — a total lunar eclipse is happening on March 3, and PAGASA says it will be fully visible from Metro Manila and other parts of the country. The celestial show will last about an hour, giving Filipinos a front-row seat to one of nature's most dramatic nighttime spectacles.
According to PAGASA chief Nathaniel Servando, the moon will enter totality at 7:04 PM and reach maximum eclipse by 7:34 PM. During that window, the Earth's umbral shadow will cover 100 percent of the moon's disk — completely blocking direct sunlight from reaching it.
The result? A blood moon. The eerie reddish glow happens because Earth's atmosphere filters and scatters sunlight, bending red wavelengths toward the moon even as it sits fully in our planet's shadow. It's the same reason sunsets look red, just projected onto the lunar surface.
The eclipse won't just be a Philippine affair — it will also be visible across Eastern Asia, Australia, the Central Pacific, and most of the Americas. So kung may kamag-anak kayo abroad, pwede kayong mag-video call while watching the same blood moon from different continents.
For skywatchers and astronomers, this is a big deal — total lunar eclipses don't happen every year, and having one visible in the early evening hours (rather than at 3 AM) makes it accessible to practically everyone. No telescope needed, just clear skies and a good spot with an eastern view.
Source: The Manila Times
