BMKG: Peak of Total Lunar Eclipse Begins Tomorrow Evening
Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has announced that the peak of a Total Lunar Eclipse (GBT) observable from Indonesia will commence on Tuesday (3 March) in the evening, local time in each region.
Fachri Radjab, Acting Director for Seismic Engineering, Potential Geophysics and Time Services at BMKG, explained in Jakarta on Monday that based on eclipse observation data, the eclipse will begin at 18:03:56 WIB and reach its peak at 18:33:39 WIB, 19:33:39 WITA, and 20:33:39 WIT.
“Indonesian residents have the opportunity to witness this astronomical phenomenon directly from various regions, provided the sky is clear and not covered by thick clouds,” he said.
He explained that eastern Indonesia will have better visibility as it can observe the early phases of the eclipse when the Moon rises. Meanwhile, in western Indonesia, the Moon will rise when the eclipse has already entered the totality phase or is approaching its peak.
The eclipse phenomenon will end completely at 21:24 WIB or around midnight Eastern Indonesia time when the Moon exits Earth’s penumbral shadow.
BMKG noted that the overall eclipse duration from the initial phase to completion lasts 5 hours, 41 minutes and 51 seconds. The partial phase lasts 3 hours, 27 minutes and 47 seconds, whilst the totality phase when the Moon is completely within Earth’s umbral shadow lasts 59 minutes and 27 seconds.
At the peak of the eclipse, the Moon has the potential to appear reddish in colour. This colour occurs due to Rayleigh scattering in Earth’s atmosphere, when sunlight with short wavelengths is dispersed and red-coloured light is transmitted to reach the Moon’s surface.
BMKG added that throughout 2026, four eclipses are estimated to occur – two solar eclipses and two lunar eclipses – however only the Total Lunar Eclipse on 3 March 2026 is observable from Indonesia.
BMKG urges the public to choose observation locations with minimal light pollution and to monitor current weather information through BMKG’s official channels.