Peak of Total Lunar Eclipse Tomorrow! Note the Time Starting at 18:03 WIB
The people of Indonesia will have the opportunity to witness one of the most remarkable astronomical phenomena of this year. The Meteorological, Climatological and Geophysical Agency (BMKG) has confirmed that a Total Lunar Eclipse (TLE) will occur on Tuesday, 3 March 2026, and can be directly observed from various regions across Indonesia.
Nelly Florida Riama, Deputy Head of the Geophysics Division at BMKG, explained that a lunar eclipse occurs due to the dynamic positioning of the sun, Earth, and moon, which only happens during the full moon phase. A total lunar eclipse specifically occurs when the sun, Earth, and moon are aligned in a straight line.
“This causes the moon to enter completely into Earth’s umbra (core shadow). This phenomenon presents a beautiful sight if the sky is clear; the moon will appear red when the peak of the eclipse occurs,” said Nelly in Jakarta on Monday (2 March).
Overall, the duration of the eclipse from its beginning to its end will take 5 hours 41 minutes 51 seconds. The duration of the partial eclipse will last 3 hours 27 minutes 47 seconds. Meanwhile, the phase of totality, when the moon is completely within Earth’s umbra, will last 59 minutes 27 seconds.
If sky conditions are clear, the public can see the moon change colour to red during the peak of the eclipse. This red colour is the result of Rayleigh scattering in Earth’s atmosphere, where sunlight with short wavelengths (blue) scatters, whilst light with longer wavelengths (red) reaches the moon’s surface.
According to BMKG data, the total lunar 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. The phenomenon will end completely at 21:24 WIB when the moon exits Earth’s penumbra.
Observations in eastern Indonesia will have better visibility as they can observe the early phases of the eclipse as the moon rises. Conversely, for western Indonesia, the eclipse will be observed already in progress (totality phase or peak) shortly after moonrise.
The public is urged to seek observation locations with minimal light pollution and clear views of the eastern horizon where the moon rises. In 2026, four eclipses are predicted to occur—two solar and two lunar—but only the total lunar eclipse of 3 March 2026 can be observed from Indonesia. Astronomically, this eclipse is the 27th member of 71 members in the Saros 133 series, previously occurring on 21 February 2008 and predicted to occur again on 13 March 2044. The BMKG remains committed to providing accurate time and astronomical phenomenon information to the public.