Earth's shadow will cover the moon, which will appear to turn reddish-orange, on the night of March 13 and early in the morning of March 14. The entirety of the eclipse will be visible in Alabama, weather permitting.
The sun, moon and Earth align so that the moon passes into the Earth's shadow. The entire moon will fall within the darkest part of the Earth's shadow, called the umbra. That is when the moon will appear to turn red-orange. Alabama fans will call it a crimson moon. Auburn fans will call it an orange moon.
You will not need any special equipment to observe the lunar eclipse. Binoculars or a telescope can enhance your view. The best viewing conditions are in a dark area away from artificial light.
There is a bonus for Alabama skywatchers during this lunar eclipse. In the western sky, the planets Mars and Jupiter are visible. As the Earth's shadow dims the moon's glow, these two planets will be easier to spot.
The timing of the eclipse in Alabama on Central Time is as follows:
Start of penumbral. Thursday, March 13, 10:57 p.m.
Start of totality: Friday, March 14, 1:26 a.m.
End of totality: Friday, March 14, 2:31 a.m.
End of penumbral: Friday, March 14, 5:00 a.m.
The 2025 eclipse is the first total lunar eclipse since November 2022.
There will be another total moon eclipse on September 7, but it will not be visible in Alabama.
Details on lunar eclipses in different Alabama cities can be found here.
"If you've never experienced a total eclipse, you must go to see totality. And, if you have seen a total eclipse, you surely must want to see another one and so must go see totality." — Iowa State University.
Jim' Zig' Zeigler writes about Alabama's people, places, events, groups and prominent deaths. He is a former Alabama Public Service Commissioner and State Auditor. You can reach him for comments at ZeiglerElderCare@yahoo.com.
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