On the night of March 3, 2026, skywatchers across the U.S. will be treated to a total lunar eclipse — the only one until the end of 2028. During this “blood moon,” the full moon will pass through Earth’s shadow and glow a rich coppery red for nearly an hour. It’s a beautiful and accessible celestial event — and one that anyone can photograph with a little planning.
You don’t need advanced gear to photograph a lunar eclipse. What matters more is being ready: knowing when it happens, where to look, and how to adapt your camera or smartphone to changing light. Whether you’re snapping on a smartphone or setting up a carefully composed telephoto shot, the most important things are timing, location, and focus. So check your sky, prep your settings, and make it an early morning worth remembering.
1. Get the exact time and schedule for your location
The only total lunar eclipse of 2026 — and the last until New Year’s Eve 2028-2029 — will take place at the same global time, 08:44 and 14:22 GMT on Tuesday, March 3. It will be best seen in western North America, the Pacific, New Zealand, Australia and East Asia. Totality — the most photogenic part, when the moon will be completely reddish — takes place at these times:
- Eastern time: 6:04-7:02 a.m. EST on March 3, 2026 (the moon will set during totality in the Eastern time zone)
- Central time: 5:04-6:02 a.m. CST on March 3, 2026
- Mountain time: 4:04-5:02 a.m. MST on March 3, 2026
- Pacific time: 3:04-4:02 a.m PST on March 3, 2026
- Alaska time: 2:04-3:02 a.m. AKST on March 3, 2026
- Hawaii time: 1:04-2:02 a.m. HST on March 3, 2026
Although totality is the headline act, there are partial and penumbral phases on either side, which together make the event last over five hours. Visit Time and Date to get a schedule for your location, which will also include where the moon will be in the sky to help you plan your shot.
2. Go west for the best views
U.S. states in the east won’t have a great view, with the moon setting during totality — a frustrating sight. The farther west you head, the better the view will be, with the West Coast a better option than the Midwest. Although the majority of the eclipse will be visible from Chicago, for example, the moon will set just 20 minutes after totality ends, meaning totality will be viewed close to the western horizon. Even in the western U.S., the moon will be low in the western sky during totality, so it’s vital to find a site with an unobstructed view to the west. Elevated spots and open fields are wise choices, as is scouting your location a few days beforehand so you know what to expect.
Related: 10 best places to see the ‘blood moon’ total lunar eclipse on March 3
3. Check the climate, then the weather
Cloud cover is the biggest threat to all kinds of eclipse photography, and in early March, it’s likely to be a huge consideration. According to historical cloud cover data (which you can check for any location using NASA Worldview), the clearest skies in the U.S. are typically found in the southwestern U.S., making Arizona and California theoretically the best places to be. However, climate is only useful in pre-planning; from about three days out, use weather apps like Windy and Clear Outside to track local forecasts for cloud cover. If you can, have wheels so you can relocate if your original spot is looking cloudy a day or two before.
4. Practice focusing a camera on the moon
If you’ve never imaged the moon before, read up on how to photograph the moon using a camera and practice — it will make all the difference. If you’re using a long lens (200-600mm), try auto-focus on the moon, but also manual focus, using ‘live view’ to magnify the moon. Make adjustments and, if you want, mark the exact point on the focus wheel. You can do the same for a wide-angle lens, though turning to the infinity icon (∞) on the dial may suffice. Adjust the focus until it’s sharp as a tack — blurry totality images are so common and so disappointing.
After the first-quarter moon on February 24, there will be a bright moon in the south and southeast after sunset each night through the eclipse in March. 3. It will get brighter every night; use any clear skies to practice.
5. Adjust exposure throughout the eclipse
During the eclipse, the moon will be swallowed first by Earth’s fuzzy outer penumbral shadow, noticeably losing its brightness, but remaining grey. As it enters the darker inner umbral shadow (the partial phase), it darkens significantly before finally turning reddish. According to the late, great eclipse photographer Fred Espenak on Nikon, those after a close-up of the blood moon should set the camera to ISO 400, open the lens to the widest aperture, and try a variety of exposures, adjusting the shutter speed in five-second increments. You’ll likely start with fast shutter speeds like 1/250s, aperture at f/8 to f/11 at ISO 400 as the eclipse begins, but for totality it will be more like 1–2 second exposures, f/2.8 aperture and ISO to 800-1600. Making constant adjustments is key — and it’s a 58-minute totality, so you have plenty of time to experiment. Bracketing (taking multiple exposures at different settings) is a wise move during totality, with 0.5-second, 1-second and 2-second exposures — all at the same ISO and aperture — will help retain lots of detail.
6. Know how to use a smartphone
Smartphones are getting really good at astrophotography, but that only applies to wide-angle shots; resist the temptation to zoom in on the moon and instead aim to frame it reflected in a lake or pond, among buildings or above mountains or trees. As well as restricting yourself to landscape shots, use some stabilization, such as a small tripod supporting a universal smartphone holder attachment.
At a pinch, you can prop it up against a bottle or a rock — particularly since the eclipse will be taking place relatively low in the sky. It’s also wise to use timed exposures to further reduce the threat of movement. Once you’re happy with the composition, tap the moon to focus, then slide your finger down to lower the brightness. Shooting in raw is also a good idea, if that’s an option.
7. Other things to think about
Stay warm, always use a tripod, charge your batteries or bring a portable battery, keep spare empty SD cards, and use a shutter release cable or app you trust. Espenak also advises turning on a camera’s Long Exposure Noise Reduction feature and, more importantly, placing the moon’s image in one corner of the camera’s viewfinder. That way, it can drift through the camera’s field of view during the exposure, rather than drift out of it. But which corner? For North America, during the eclipse, the moon will move from top-left to bottom-right — it will be on its way to setting in the west.
Photographing a total lunar eclipse — whose totality lasts almost an hour — is so much less frenetic than a total solar eclipse, but take some time between exposures to take in the stunning sight. Total lunar eclipses are like buses; you get none for years, then three come along at once. The blood moon on March 3, 2026, is the last until a trio of total lunar eclipses begins in late 2028, so enjoy it.
