Total Lunar Eclipse on 3 March Visible in TMII Night Sky

The sky over Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII) in East Jakarta that evening was partly clear and cloudy, with no hint of an orange horizon, but it offered hope that heavy rain would not return. ‘Hopefully it will be clear now; it’s fine if the rain cleared earlier this morning, not tonight,’ said Wendy Sulistyani as she adjusted the tripod on the second floor of the Indonesia Science Center (ISC), TMII, on Tuesday night (3/3/2026).

That twilight, on a black mat with an elephant motif, Wendy and Gani sat cross-legged, setting up the telescope and tripod. Accompanying the moment were iced sweet tea, plain water, nasi ayam daun jeruk, fried snacks, and warm dim sum for breaking the fast.

While offering warm dim sum to Kompas.com, Wendy explained that she has been interested in astronomy since secondary school. ‘When I was in high school I joined the Himpunan Astronomi Amatir Jakarta. We often took part in star parties, joint observations at the Planetarium,’ Wendy said.

‘For this event (to view the Total Lunar Eclipse at the ISC), I am really intent on passing it on to the children. That natural phenomena does not happen every year, so this is a rare opportunity,’ she added.

However, as far as the eye could see, TMII’s sky looked empty. No sign of light on the eastern horizon.

‘Kak, muncul, Kak! Di atas pohon!’ Wendy shouted as she pointed to the spot.

At first the colour was dull, as it was obscured by clouds. But around 19:04 WIB, the view of the night’s Total Lunar Eclipse was captured clearly in Kompas.com’s phone camera.