Wilmington, Delaware – Delaware residents should mark March 3 now, when a rare 58-minute Blood Moon will unfold from 6:04 to 7:03 a.m., delivering the First State’s last visible total lunar eclipse until 2028.
According to NASA eclipse timing data, totality begins at 6:04 a.m. Eastern Time on March 3 and peaks at 6:33 a.m., when the Moon turns deep red inside Earth’s shadow. The Moon will sit low along the western horizon and may set during totality, especially across coastal Sussex County, narrowing the viewing window as sunrise approaches.
In Wilmington, west-facing areas along the Christina River or Brandywine Park offer clearer sightlines above city lighting. Dover residents should seek open fields or elevated ground away from Route 1 corridor lights. In Newark and along the beaches in Rehoboth and Lewes, an unobstructed inland western horizon is critical before dawn light brightens the sky.
The partial eclipse begins around 5:04 a.m., giving early risers nearly an hour to watch Earth’s shadow steadily cover the Moon before totality. No eclipse glasses are required, and binoculars can enhance subtle color variation across the lunar surface.
Cloud cover could interfere, so checking local weather conditions on March 2 is essential. Once the Moon dips below the horizon the morning of March 3, Delaware will not see another total lunar eclipse until 2028 — making this pre-sunrise event worth planning for now.
