Richmond, Virginia – Virginians should mark March 3 now, when a rare 58-minute Blood Moon will unfold from 6:04 to 7:03 a.m., delivering the Commonwealth’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 a deep copper-red inside Earth’s shadow. The Moon will sit low along the western horizon and may set during totality, particularly across eastern Virginia and the Hampton Roads region, narrowing the viewing window as sunrise approaches.
In Richmond, west-facing overlooks along the James River Park System offer clearer sightlines. In Northern Virginia, residents should move away from dense lighting near Arlington and Alexandria for better contrast. Virginia Beach and Norfolk viewers will need an unobstructed western horizon inland, while higher elevations along the Blue Ridge Parkway near Roanoke could provide some of the best statewide views.
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 surface detail and color variation.
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, Virginia will not see another total lunar eclipse until 2028 — making this pre-sunrise event worth planning for now.
