San Francisco, California – Northern California residents should mark March 3 now, when a rare 58-minute Blood Moon will unfold from 3:04 to 4:03 a.m. Pacific Time, delivering the region’s last visible total lunar eclipse until 2028.
According to NASA eclipse timing data, totality begins at 3:04 a.m. PT on March 3 and peaks at 3:33 a.m., when the Moon turns deep red inside Earth’s shadow. The Moon will hang low in the western sky during totality, with the deepest red tones visible before early dawn light begins to increase.
In San Francisco, west-facing viewpoints away from downtown lighting — including Twin Peaks or open coastal overlooks — will offer clearer sightlines. Sacramento residents should seek rural edges of the Central Valley for darker skies. In Redding and far northern counties, minimal light pollution improves contrast, while elevated terrain in the Sierra Nevada may provide some of the best regional viewing conditions.
The partial eclipse begins around 2:04 a.m. PT, giving night owls nearly an hour to watch Earth’s shadow steadily cover the Moon before totality. No eclipse glasses are required, and binoculars can enhance surface detail and deepen the copper-red hues.
Cloud cover could interfere, so checking local weather conditions on March 2 is essential. Once dawn brightens the sky on the morning of March 3, Northern California will not see another total lunar eclipse until 2028 — making this overnight event worth planning for now.
