# March 2026 lunar eclipse

A total lunar eclipse will occur at the Moon’s descending node of orbit on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, with an umbral magnitude of 1.1526. A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon moves into the Earth's shadow, causing the Moon to be darkened. A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon's near side entirely passes into the Earth's umbral shadow. Unlike a solar eclipse, which can only be viewed from a relatively small area of the world, a lunar eclipse may be viewed from anywhere on the night side of Earth. A total lunar eclipse can last up to nearly two hours, while a total solar eclipse lasts only a few minutes at any given place, because the Moon's shadow is smaller. The Moon's apparent diameter will be near the average diameter because it will occur 6.7 days after perigee (on February 24, 2026, at 18:15 UTC) and 6.9 days before apogee (on March 10, 2026, at 9:45 UTC).
This lunar eclipse will be the third of an almost tetrad, with the others being on March 14, 2025 (total); September 8, 2025 (total); and August 28, 2026 (partial).
During the eclipse, the Moon will occult NGC 3423 over North America.$^{:161}$

## Visibility

The eclipse will be completely visible over northeast Asia, northwestern North America, and the central Pacific Ocean, seen rising over much of Asia and Australia and setting over North and South America.

## Eclipse details

Shown below is a table displaying details about this particular lunar eclipse. It describes various parameters pertaining to this eclipse.
March 3, 2026 Lunar Eclipse Parameters :
| Parameter | Value |
| Penumbral Magnitude | 2.18580 |
| Umbral Magnitude | 1.15263 |
| Gamma | −0.37651 |
| Sun Right Ascension | 22h56m56.0s |
| Sun Declination | -06°43'06.4" |
| Sun Semi-Diameter | 16'08.0" |
| Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 08.9" |
| Moon Right Ascension | 10h56m15.0s |
| Moon Declination | +06°24'05.3" |
| Moon Semi-Diameter | 15'37.0" |
| Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 0°57'18.7" |
| ΔT | 72.1 s |

## Eclipse season

This eclipse is part of an eclipse season, a period, roughly every six months, when eclipses occur. Only two (or occasionally three) eclipse seasons occur each year, and each season lasts about 35 days and repeats just short of six months (173 days) later; thus two full eclipse seasons always occur each year. Either two or three eclipses happen each eclipse season. In the sequence below, each eclipse is separated by a fortnight.
Eclipse season of February–March 2026 :
| February 17 Ascending node (new moon) | March 3 Descending node (full moon) |
| Annular solar eclipse Solar Saros 121 | Total lunar eclipse Lunar Saros 133 |

## Related eclipses
### Eclipses in 2026

* An annular solar eclipse on February 17.
* A total lunar eclipse on March 3.
* A total solar eclipse on August 12.
* A partial lunar eclipse on August 28.

### Metonic

* Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of May 16, 2022
* Followed by: Lunar eclipse of December 20, 2029

### Tzolkinex

* Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of January 21, 2019
* Followed by: Lunar eclipse of April 14, 2033

### Half-Saros

* Preceded by: Solar eclipse of February 26, 2017
* Followed by: Solar eclipse of March 9, 2035

### Tritos

* Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of April 4, 2015
* Followed by: Lunar eclipse of January 31, 2037

### Lunar Saros 133

* Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of February 21, 2008
* Followed by: Lunar eclipse of March 13, 2044

### Inex

* Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of March 24, 1997
* Followed by: Lunar eclipse of February 11, 2055

### Triad

* Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of May 3, 1939
* Followed by: Lunar eclipse of January 2, 2113

### Lunar eclipses of 2024–2027

This eclipse is a member of a semester series. An eclipse in a semester series of lunar eclipses repeats approximately every 177 days and 4 hours (a semester) at alternating nodes of the Moon's orbit.
The penumbral lunar eclipse on July 18, 2027 occurs in the next lunar year eclipse set.
Lunar eclipse series sets from 2024 to 2027 :
| Descending node | Descending node | Descending node | Descending node | Ascending node | Ascending node | Ascending node | Ascending node |
| Saros | Date Viewing | Type Chart | Gamma | Saros | Date Viewing | Type Chart | Gamma |
| 113 | 2024 Mar 25 | Penumbral | 1.0610 | 118 | 2024 Sep 18 | Partial | −0.9792 |
| 123 | 2025 Mar 14 | Total | 0.3485 | 128 | 2025 Sep 07 | Total | −0.2752 |
| 133 | 2026 Mar 03 | Total | −0.3765 | 138 | 2026 Aug 28 | Partial | 0.4964 |
| 143 | 2027 Feb 20 | Penumbral | −1.0480 | 148 | 2027 Aug 17 | Penumbral | 1.2797 |

### Metonic series

The Metonic cycle repeats nearly exactly every 19 years and represents a Saros cycle plus one lunar year. Because it occurs on the same calendar date, the Earth's shadow will be in nearly the same location relative to the background stars.
| 1988 Mar 03.675 – Partial (113) 2007 Mar 03.972 – Total (123) 2026 Mar 03.481 – Total (133) 2045 Mar 03.320 – Penumbral (143) | 1988 Aug 27.461 – partial (118) 2007 Aug 28.442 – total (128) 2026 Aug 28.175 – partial (138) 2045 Aug 27.578 – penumbral (148) |

### Saros 133

This eclipse is a part of Saros series 133, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, and containing 71 events. The series started with a penumbral lunar eclipse on May 13, 1557. It contains partial eclipses from August 7, 1683 through December 17, 1899; total eclipses from December 28, 1917 through August 3, 2278; and a second set of partial eclipses from August 14, 2296 through March 11, 2639. The series ends at member 71 as a penumbral eclipse on June 29, 2819.
The longest duration of totality will be produced by member 35 at 101 minutes, 41 seconds on May 30, 2170. All eclipses in this series occur at the Moon’s descending node of orbit.
| Greatest | First | First | First | First |
| The greatest eclipse of the series will occur on 2170 May 30, lasting 101 minutes, 41 seconds. | Penumbral | Partial | Total | Central |
| The greatest eclipse of the series will occur on 2170 May 30, lasting 101 minutes, 41 seconds. | 1557 May 13 | 1683 Aug 07 | 1917 Dec 28 | 2098 Apr 15 |
| Last ||||
| The greatest eclipse of the series will occur on 2170 May 30, lasting 101 minutes, 41 seconds. | Central | Total | Partial | Penumbral |
| The greatest eclipse of the series will occur on 2170 May 30, lasting 101 minutes, 41 seconds. | 2224 Jul 01 | 2278 Aug 03 | 2639 Mar 11 | 2819 Jun 29 |
Eclipses are tabulated in three columns; every third eclipse in the same column is one exeligmos apart, so they all cast shadows over approximately the same parts of the Earth.
Series members 15–36 occur between 1801 and 2200: :
| 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 |
| 1809 Oct 23 | 1809 Oct 23 | 1827 Nov 03 | 1827 Nov 03 | 1845 Nov 14 | 1845 Nov 14 |
| 18 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 20 |
| 1863 Nov 25 | 1863 Nov 25 | 1881 Dec 05 | 1881 Dec 05 | 1899 Dec 17 | 1899 Dec 17 |
| 21 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 23 |
| 1917 Dec 28 | 1917 Dec 28 | 1936 Jan 08 | 1936 Jan 08 | 1954 Jan 19 | 1954 Jan 19 |
| 24 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 26 |
| 1972 Jan 30 | 1972 Jan 30 | 1990 Feb 09 | 1990 Feb 09 | 2008 Feb 21 | 2008 Feb 21 |
| 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 |
| 2026 Mar 03 | 2026 Mar 03 | 2044 Mar 13 | 2044 Mar 13 | 2062 Mar 25 | 2062 Mar 25 |
| 30 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 32 | 32 |
| 2080 Apr 04 | 2080 Apr 04 | 2098 Apr 15 | 2098 Apr 15 | 2116 Apr 27 | 2116 Apr 27 |
| 33 | 33 | 34 | 34 | 35 | 35 |
| 2134 May 08 | 2134 May 08 | 2152 May 18 | 2152 May 18 | 2170 May 30 | 2170 May 30 |
| 36 ||
| 2188 Jun 09 ||

### Tritos series

This eclipse is a part of a tritos cycle, repeating at alternating nodes every 135 synodic months (≈ 3986.63 days, or 11 years minus 1 month). Their appearance and longitude are irregular due to a lack of synchronization with the anomalistic month (period of perigee), but groupings of 3 tritos cycles (≈ 33 years minus 3 months) come close (≈ 434.044 anomalistic months), so eclipses are similar in these groupings.
Series members between 1801 and 2200 :
| 1807 Nov 15 (Saros 113) | 1807 Nov 15 (Saros 113) | 1818 Oct 14 (Saros 114) | 1818 Oct 14 (Saros 114) | 1829 Sep 13 (Saros 115) | 1829 Sep 13 (Saros 115) | 1840 Aug 13 (Saros 116) | 1840 Aug 13 (Saros 116) | 1851 Jul 13 (Saros 117) | 1851 Jul 13 (Saros 117) |
| 1862 Jun 12 (Saros 118) | 1862 Jun 12 (Saros 118) | 1873 May 12 (Saros 119) | 1873 May 12 (Saros 119) | 1884 Apr 10 (Saros 120) | 1884 Apr 10 (Saros 120) | 1895 Mar 11 (Saros 121) | 1895 Mar 11 (Saros 121) | 1906 Feb 09 (Saros 122) | 1906 Feb 09 (Saros 122) |
| 1917 Jan 08 (Saros 123) | 1917 Jan 08 (Saros 123) | 1927 Dec 08 (Saros 124) | 1927 Dec 08 (Saros 124) | 1938 Nov 07 (Saros 125) | 1938 Nov 07 (Saros 125) | 1949 Oct 07 (Saros 126) | 1949 Oct 07 (Saros 126) | 1960 Sep 05 (Saros 127) | 1960 Sep 05 (Saros 127) |
| 1971 Aug 06 (Saros 128) | 1971 Aug 06 (Saros 128) | 1982 Jul 06 (Saros 129) | 1982 Jul 06 (Saros 129) | 1993 Jun 04 (Saros 130) | 1993 Jun 04 (Saros 130) | 2004 May 04 (Saros 131) | 2004 May 04 (Saros 131) | 2015 Apr 04 (Saros 132) | 2015 Apr 04 (Saros 132) |
| 2026 Mar 03 (Saros 133) | 2026 Mar 03 (Saros 133) | 2037 Jan 31 (Saros 134) | 2037 Jan 31 (Saros 134) | 2048 Jan 01 (Saros 135) | 2048 Jan 01 (Saros 135) | 2058 Nov 30 (Saros 136) | 2058 Nov 30 (Saros 136) | 2069 Oct 30 (Saros 137) | 2069 Oct 30 (Saros 137) |
| 2080 Sep 29 (Saros 138) | 2080 Sep 29 (Saros 138) | 2091 Aug 29 (Saros 139) | 2091 Aug 29 (Saros 139) | 2102 Jul 30 (Saros 140) | 2102 Jul 30 (Saros 140) | 2113 Jun 29 (Saros 141) | 2113 Jun 29 (Saros 141) | 2124 May 28 (Saros 142) | 2124 May 28 (Saros 142) |
| 2135 Apr 28 (Saros 143) | 2135 Apr 28 (Saros 143) | 2146 Mar 28 (Saros 144) | 2146 Mar 28 (Saros 144) | 2157 Feb 24 (Saros 145) | 2157 Feb 24 (Saros 145) | 2168 Jan 24 (Saros 146) | 2168 Jan 24 (Saros 146) | 2178 Dec 24 (Saros 147) | 2178 Dec 24 (Saros 147) |
| 2189 Nov 22 (Saros 148) | 2189 Nov 22 (Saros 148) | 2200 Oct 23 (Saros 149) | 2200 Oct 23 (Saros 149) |

### Inex series

This eclipse is a part of the long period inex cycle, repeating at alternating nodes, every 358 synodic months (≈ 10,571.95 days, or 29 years minus 20 days). Their appearance and longitude are irregular due to a lack of synchronization with the anomalistic month (period of perigee). However, groupings of 3 inex cycles (≈ 87 years minus 2 months) comes close (≈ 1,151.02 anomalistic months), so eclipses are similar in these groupings.
Series members between 1801 and 2200 :
| 1823 Jul 23 (Saros 126) | 1823 Jul 23 (Saros 126) | 1852 Jul 01 (Saros 127) | 1852 Jul 01 (Saros 127) | 1881 Jun 12 (Saros 128) | 1881 Jun 12 (Saros 128) |
| 1910 May 24 (Saros 129) | 1910 May 24 (Saros 129) | 1939 May 03 (Saros 130) | 1939 May 03 (Saros 130) | 1968 Apr 13 (Saros 131) | 1968 Apr 13 (Saros 131) |
| 1997 Mar 24 (Saros 132) | 1997 Mar 24 (Saros 132) | 2026 Mar 03 (Saros 133) | 2026 Mar 03 (Saros 133) | 2055 Feb 11 (Saros 134) | 2055 Feb 11 (Saros 134) |
| 2084 Jan 22 (Saros 135) | 2084 Jan 22 (Saros 135) | 2113 Jan 02 (Saros 136) | 2113 Jan 02 (Saros 136) | 2141 Dec 13 (Saros 137) | 2141 Dec 13 (Saros 137) |
| 2170 Nov 23 (Saros 138) | 2170 Nov 23 (Saros 138) | 2199 Nov 02 (Saros 139) | 2199 Nov 02 (Saros 139) |

### Half-Saros cycle

A lunar eclipse will be preceded and followed by solar eclipses by 9 years and 5.5 days (a half saros). This lunar eclipse is related to two annular solar eclipses of Solar Saros 140.
| February 26, 2017 | March 9, 2035 |