An astronomer gave us tips for watching the imminent total lunar eclipse

A majestic celestial event looms large for the continental U.S. and greater Americas.

Earth will pass between the sun and moon on the night of March 13 into the morning of March 14, creating a total lunar eclipse visible in large swathes of the Western Hemisphere. Aptly called a "blood moon," Earth blocks most sunlight from reaching the moon during these events, but long reddish wavelengths of sunlight still slip through our planet's atmosphere, illuminating our robust natural satellite in reddish, rusty, or crimson colors.

Lunar totality — when the entirety of our view of the moon transforms into an eerie blood moon — will last for 65 minutes. So you'll have lots of time, weather-permitting, to experience the eclipse. Importantly, you don't need to do much. You don't need any special equipment — though you can choose to use some. You just need to go outside and peer at our ancient, deeply-cratered, geologically fascinating moon.

"Enjoy it. See it with your own eyes," Emily Rice, an astronomer at Macaulay Honors College of the City University of New York, told Mashable. Rice also works with the American Astronomical Society.

Here are some common questions about eclipse-viewing, with expert answers.

When to see the total lunar eclipse

Many of us will need to stay up late, or set an alarm.

Totality begins at 11:26 p.m. PDT on March 13, 2025 / 2:26 a.m. EDT on March 14 / 06:26 UTC, and lasts for 65 minutes. But the reddening progresses over hours. Technically, the eclipse starts (the "penumbral eclipse") with slight dimming on March 13 at 8:57 p.m. PDT / 11:57 p.m. EDT / 03:57 UTC. The greater event ends at 3:00 a.m. PDT / 6:00 a.m. EDT / 10:00 UTC.

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How to prepare for the total lunar eclipse

Lunar eclipse-viewing doesn't take much preparation. But you do want to set yourself up for success. To immerse yourself in the crimson event — which evolves over time as the moon passes through different regions of Earth's shadow — prepare to stay warm outside, as opposed to just catching a short glimpse.

"Get out there, get comfortable, and watch it for as long as you can."

"Get out there, get comfortable, and watch it for as long as you can," Rice said.

Should you use a telescope or binoculars to view the lunar eclipse?

You certainly don't need to. But it can enhance your view, revealing more lunar details.

"You can get a good view through a telescope or binoculars, but it's definitely not necessary," Rice said. "The moon is always a beautiful thing to look at with a telescope," she noted.

Rice plans to view the March 13-14 eclipse with the naked eye — and hopes to encourage her family to peer at the blood moon, too.

Do you need any eye protection to view a total lunar eclipse?

Unlike a total solar eclipse, you don't need special or approved eye protection for this event.

"The good thing about all types of lunar eclipse is that, unlike a solar eclipse, they are safe to view with the naked eye," the Natural History Museum in London explains. "This is because lunar eclipses only reflect sunlight — they don't get any brighter than a full moon, which you've probably safely observed many times before." (What's more, the moon is actually dark, as it's blanketed in grayish rock, so it reflects a relatively small percentage of sunlight.)

Can you take a picture of the total lunar eclipse with your phone?

You can certainly try — but don't expect impressive results.

Most phones, on automatic camera settings, will attempt to capture long exposures of the moon set on its dark space background, resulting in overexposed, blurry images. On the other hand, you'll have over an hour to fiddle with your camera settings to try to snap a desirable photo.

Once again, Rice suggests simply experiencing the celestial event without worrying about things like camera settings. But it's your eclipse — the most important part, of course, is making it there.

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