Total Lunar Eclipse on 3 March 2026: Schedule for Visibility across Indonesia
Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has announced that a total lunar eclipse will occur on 3 March 2026 and can be observed from Indonesian territory. This phenomenon is one of four eclipses predicted to occur throughout 2026.
BMKG explained that a lunar eclipse occurs when sunlight is blocked by Earth, preventing the sun’s rays from fully reaching the moon. This phenomenon results from the dynamics of the positions of the sun, Earth, and moon and only occurs during the full moon phase.
Because the movement of these three celestial bodies can be calculated with precision, the occurrence of eclipses can be predicted well in advance.
Specifically, a total lunar eclipse occurs when the sun, Earth, and moon are positioned in a straight line. In this condition, the moon enters entirely into Earth’s umbra shadow.
At the peak of the eclipse, the moon has the potential to appear red if the sky is clear. This reddish colour occurs as a result of Rayleigh scattering in Earth’s atmosphere.
Sunlight passing through the atmosphere becomes scattered, whereby short wavelengths such as blue are dispersed more widely, whilst long wavelengths such as red remain unobstructed and reach the moon’s surface. As a result, the moon appears reddish from Earth.
BMKG noted that the total phase of the Total Lunar Eclipse on 3 March 2026 will begin at 18:03 WIB. The peak of the eclipse occurs at 18:33 WIB, whilst the total phase ends at 19:03 WIB. The duration of totality is recorded as 59 minutes and 27 seconds.
Throughout 2026, BMKG has recorded four eclipses, with the following details:
Annular Solar Eclipse on 17 February 2026, which cannot be observed from Indonesia.
Total Lunar Eclipse on 3 March 2026, which can be observed from Indonesia.
Total Solar Eclipse on 12 August 2026, which cannot be observed from Indonesia.
Partial Lunar Eclipse on 28 August 2026, which cannot be observed from Indonesia.