March 2025 lunar eclipse brings a "Blood Moon," but skies too cloudy to see around NYC
The March 2025 total lunar eclipse brought a "Blood Moon" late Thursday night into early Friday morning, but it was too cloudy to see over New York City and the suburbs of Long Island and New Jersey.
Here was everything to know about when and where to try to catch a glimpse.
What time was 2025 lunar eclipse over Tri-State?
The eclipse was visible from the Earth's western hemisphere on Thursday, into Friday, depending on where you were.
"You're sitting inside the shadow of the earth at night, but that shadow is also shooting across space and reaching all the way to the moon, and you're participating in that alignment," said Ernie Wright, a science visualizer for NASA.
In our area, you had to stay up late -- or get up early -- to see the show. It started at 1:26 a.m. Friday, and full totality lasted from 2:26 a.m. to 3:31 a.m. It was expected to be over by 4:32 a.m.
"If you can lengthen the exposure, you can do that," Wright said of snapping a good picture, "and if you can lengthen the exposure and put it on a tripod, you can do that. That will help with a longer exposure, so you don't end up with a blurry image."
Unfortunately, for the viewing conditions, there were lots of clouds and even some fog and drizzle in those overnight hours.
Our forecasters said if they had to pick a best viewing spot, it would be in the central Hudson Valley, north of New York City.
Liberty Science Center in Jersey City also hosted a "Late-Night Lunar Mania" event starting at midnight, with telescopes and planetarium shows.
"We're gonna have great food. We're gonna have blood moon chicken wings, that are smothered in bloody Mary sauce to give it that red look. We bring everybody together to show them the power, the promise, and pure fun of science," Liberty Science Center President and CEO Paul Hoffman said.
"The lunar eclipse is gonna last for three and a half hours. So even if clouds are coming and going, there's really a good chance of catching this lunar eclipse tonight," added Mike Shanahan, the center's planetarium director.
What is a total lunar eclipse?
A lunar eclipse occurs when the sun, Earth and moon align so the moon passes into the Earth's shadow. During a total lunar eclipse, the entire moon falls within the darkest part of the shadow.
Lunar eclipses are sometimes called "Blood Moons," because the moon can appear red-orange in color from the shadow. March's full moon is also called the "Worm Moon," signaling the start of spring is just days away.
The next time the U.S. will have a perfect view of a lunar eclipse will be in 2048.
